KUALA LUMPUR: The parents of 1-year-old Nurmikayla Sumayyah Mohammad Badrul Nizam were just about to heave a sigh of relief as their baby was about to end her Covid-19 quarantine period.
They were instead hit with devastating news, that she had been diagnosed with a hole in the heart.
"She caught Covid-19 but it was not severe, only a fever for a day. However, as she was getting her quarantine bracelet removed, the nurse noticed that her oxygen levels dropped.
"Nurmikayla was then referred to by the nurse to Kuala Lumpur Hospital where her oxygen levels were still unsatisfactory," said her mother, Rozita Jamil, a 35-year-old housewife.
Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart condition which can be asymptomatic at birth, can progress with symptoms such as episodes of bluish colour to the skin due to a lack of sufficient oxygenation and frequent tiredness.
The doctors then performed scans on her, which was when the heart condition was detected.
The diagnosis found that Nurmikayla has a hole in her heart and that her blood vessels in her lungs were also clogged, leading to her to suffer from lack of oxygen and shortness of breath.
"As parents, our hearts shattered upon hearing the sad news. We could not accept the fact at first," Rozita added.
Doctors told the couple that the operation to install an artificial valve into her lung would cost RM80,000.
Nurmikayla's father, 29-year-old delivery rider Mohammad Badrul Nizam Ikmal Ahmad Saarani, is at a loss as to how to fund the operation with his meager monthly income of RM1,700.
He is banking on the public's kindness to help contribute towards the operation.
"I also hope that everyone prays for my daughter to recover and that she will be able to live a healthy life like other children," he said.
Those who wish to help Nurmikayla can send donations via cheques made payable to the Media Prima-NSTP Humanitarian Fund at the Group Strategic Communications Department, Media Prima Bhd, Level 4, Anjung Riong, Balai Berita, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, with the patient's name written on the reverse side.
Donations can also be made via the fund's Maybank current account 5141 0532 3170, indicating the patient's name on the recipients' reference or other payment details section.