Donate to Yvonne Foong's Medical Cost

To all my blog readers, I would like to wish Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Time flies and 2008 is about to leave us.

In this festive season, I would like to call upon you to do a good deed. I just came across this from Kenny Sia's blog and he helped to highlight on a donation drive by Yvonne Foong to save her right eye.

Quoting it from her blog, which was posted on 17th December 2008:-
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I had been feeling a little scared the past few days. I’m going to raise funds for Proton Therapy to save my eyesight. This is an advanced but rare form of radiosurgery, used to treat tumors involving delicate structures where slight mistake can cause irreversible damages. Since my left eye is blind, my ears deaf, we must save my right eye. But Proton Therapy is said to be very expensive. There are cheaper alternatives but not as accurate as this one. I was intimidated by the prospect of having to put myself out here again, raising funds for something most would consider a luxury, and get questioned again for my authenticity and as a moral person.
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Yvonne Foong is diagnosed with NF2 tumours and her medical fees are very hefty. It would be great if some of you, my blog readers, could help Yvonne in any way you could. She has set up a trust to help her handle the donation. You can read about it here .

Some of the ways you could help:-
1. Donate. You can donate at here .
2. Blog about it and encourage others to donate.
3. Give her emotional support.
4. Any other ways that you could help!

Lets hope that Yvonne Foong could recover soon.

She has written a book too, "I'm not sick, just a bit unwell", and the proceed of that book would help her to cover her medical cost. You can get her book by going to Borders (Times Square), MPH, Popular etc. You can contact her too at yvonnefmn(at)gmail(dot)com . To see the book, go to here .

Hope that you can take proactive step to help!

To know more about Yvonne Foong and her condition, do read here . She was born in 1986, so she is just 22 years old, and unfortunately, she faced this situation.

I reproduced some of her medical situation here. Those were quoted from her link above.

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Diagnosis
1. Neurofibromatosis Type 2. (July 2002)

Surgeries
August 2002 - Multiple spine tumor removal
April 2003 - Partial Acoustic Neuroma removal - Brain.
September 2004 - Complete Acoustic Neuroma removal - Brain.
October 2006 - Complete Acoustic Neuroma removal - Brain.
November 2008 - Decompression of the right optic nerve.

Prognosis
1. Optic Nerve Sheath Meningioma.
2. Under-development of left eyeball and retina, causing small optic nerve.
3. Semi facial palsy.
4. Jugular Foramen Meningioma.
5. Multiple brain tumors.
6. Multiple tumors along cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
7. Multiple peripheral schwannomas.
8. Absence of VIII cranial nerves - the vestibulocochlear nerves.
9. Usage of the Auditory Brainstem Implant to assist hearing.

Doctors involve in my health management
1. Neurosurgeon Dr. Gregory P. Lekovic M.D. (House Clinic)
2. Neurotologist - Dr. Rick A. Friedman MD. PhD. (House Clinic)
3. Neurosurgeon - Dr. Mark Schwartz MD. (House Clinic)
4. Neurosurgeon - Dr. William E. Hitselberger MD. (House Clinic) (past)
5. Neurosurgeon Mr. Johari Siregar Bin Adnan (past)
5. Neurosurgeon Mr. Mohd Saffari B. Mohd Haspani (past)

Hospitals frequently visited
1. General Hospital Kuala Lumpur (past)
2. Assunta Hospital
3. St. Vincent Medical Center, L.A.
4. Tun Hussein Oon Eye Hospital

Physical Limitations
1. Profound deafness.
2. Underdeveloped left optic nerve.
3. Low right visual acuity
4. Right central scotoma
5. Poor balance.
6. Semi facial paralysis.
7. Stiff Right Leg.
8. Slight Back Discomfort.
9. Tinnitus.

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Do try to help her in any way you can!!! Despite her situation, she is forward looking and she is trying her best to do the best out of the situation.

Lets end 2008 with doing a good deed, or start 2009 with doing a good deed.

With each of us doing a little bit, this could bring together a real positive change. Lets do it!

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Click here to read more of Chen Chow's posts

Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!