KOTA KINABALU: When Junior Isaiah Hanson was born prematurely at 770 grams, his parents were told that he could only survive for an hour.
However, the 11-month-old baby of former journalist Stefyanie Myla and mountain guide Hanson Ganson, has defied expectations.
Junior managed to gain weight, reaching 1kg after conservative management at Sabah Women and Children's Hospital here.
Not long after, he was diagnosed with distal tracheal stenosis with the right tracheal branch.
"He has undergone surgery for this condition at Serdang Hospital, but complications arose, including recurrent chylothorax, a milky fluid accumulating in the chest cavity.
"Junior also uses a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to help expand his collapsed right upper lung due to chronic lung disease," she said.
Stefyanie shared that after months of hospitalisation, the family is thrilled that Junior can finally go home. However, their financial struggle is far from over.
"We need to acquire a kangaroo enteral feeding pump worth RM5,000 for his milk. Additionally, we have to purchase feeding bags online, each costing about RM21 every week.
"As our home in Kundasang often experiences electricity rationing or blackouts, we need at least RM3,000 for a power generator," she added.
Apart from these needs, they have ongoing expenses for Ryles tubes, travel expenses between Kundasang and the hospital for further medical interventions, as well as another review at Serdang Hospital in June next year.
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