By OLIVIA MIWIL - 23 November 2014 @ 8:06 AM
KOTA KINABALU: LIFE took a drastic turn when doctors told Marie Bahari that her bubbly 12-year-old daughter had cancer.
It was in February when Norfatih Johnny complained of a swollen right ankle and a check confirmed she had chronic myeloid leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. Doctors suggested the child to undergo bone marrow transplant, a procedure that costs up to RM350,000.
Marie, a 44-year-old housewife and mother of seven from Tuaran, said despite knowing she would not be able to afford the procedure, she held on to hope.
Her prayers were answered as Norfatih was selected as the first patient to undergo the transplant at Likas Women and Children Hospital here.
The procedure was carried out at the hospital’s Bone Marrow Unit on Oct 31, after Norfatih completed her Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah examination.
Paediatric haemato-oncologist, Dr Asohan Thevarajah, said Norfatih was picked because her elder brother’s stem cells matched hers.
“A bone marrow transplant is a procedure to replace a patient’s faulty bone marrow stem cells,” he said.
The stem cells, once transplanted, can develop into important blood components — red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Recently, the state health department announced that Norfatih was on the road to recovery, having passed the 12-day observation period, in which she was isolated in a room with an air filter system.
Health Ministry haematology services head Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim described the first transplant outside Peninsular Malaysia as a milestone for Sabah.
“The success of the bone marrow transplant lies in the teamwork exhibited by the 17 people from multidisciplinary fields, such as nurses, pharmacists, haematologist, pathologists and dieticians.
“The facility here is adequate but more experienced and trained specialists and nurses are required,” said Dr Hishamshah.
In Malaysia, a bone marrow transplant can cost up to RM350,000 in a private setting. In public hospitals, much of the cost is subsidised by the government.
The unit is expected to carry out another procedure on a 12-year-old boy with a cancer known as myelodysplastic syndrome next month.
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