Background

Rasul, 11 years old, was diagnosed with hydranencephaly, a severe congenital deformity of his undeveloped brain. He also suffers from seizures and spasticity. He is unable to consume solid food and relies solely on a special formulated milk fed through a feeding tube attached to his abdominal wall.

 Struggles of Rasul’s Parents

As Rasul is wheelchair-bound and non-communicative, he depends entirely on his parents especially his mother, his main caregiver. When we met his parents, his father, Mr. Ridwan told us how challenging it has been for his wife is to be on standby for their son, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Rasul’s father works as an aircraft technician to provide for his family of 9. The family consists of his elderly parents, his wife, their 4 children (16, 15, 11 and 7) and Mr. Ridwan’s sister. Mr. Ridwan was bringing home close to $2,500 previously, but only brings home about $1,700 now after a harsh pay cut following the reduced hours. Rasul’s mum is unable to work to supplement her husband’s sole income due to her caregiving duties.

Caring for a special needs child is not easy and the family is struggling to get by. As Rasul is unable to consume any other food besides his special milk powder which are not subsidised, Mr. Ridwan has expressed that he is worried about not being able to fully provide for his son, and to provide him with a dignified life.

Ray of Hope wishes to raise $3,000 ($500 x 6 months) for Rasul’s milk and diapers expenses. As he suffers from a lifelong condition with little chance of improvement, a little donation can go a long way to Rasul’s family as they continue to care for him for life.

*Mr Ridwan is not receiving social assistance.