MIRI: The joy of welcoming a newborn into a family can turn to sorrow when parents learn that their baby has heart complications.
Faizal Arief, a father of four, faced this heart-wrenching situation when Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) doctors informed him that his newborn baby, Norfartihin Afief Faizal Arief, had heart problems that could potentially shorten his lifespan.
For the past three years, little Afief has been in and out of Sarawak Heart Hospital, undergoing numerous tests and examinations.
Afief looks malnourished and too small for his age. He lives with his family in Kampung Tupong Ulu, Petra Jaya, while his older siblings, aged between seven and 13, attend school.
Due to Afief’s frequent hospital check-ups and uncertain emergency visits, his father Faizal, 49, has been unable to maintain a stable 9-to-5 job.
To make ends meet, Faizal operates a burger stall in front of his house during the evenings and works as a grasscutter in the village.
Afief’s mother, Noorlia, 43, also works as a canteen assistant to support their family. The family resides in a small, rundown wooden house, and Faizal, a former hardware store employee, takes on DIY repairs due to limited resources.
Hope Place is providing support to this family by providing basic food aid and special milk powder for little Afief. The family has also applied for social welfare assistance and is awaiting approval.
For more information or to offer assistance, the public can contact Hope Place or Persatuan Kebajikan Harapan Kuching at 082-505987.
They are open from 8am to 5pm from Mondays to Fridays and from 8am to 12pm on Saturdays. All donations are welcome, and receipts will be provided upon request.
Donations can be made directly to the Maybank account 511289001160 or via the organisation’s Facebook page to obtain their Sarawak Pay / S PAY GLOBAL QR code.
