by Rachel Kok Chian Yee, Content Contributor
Madam Dalia’s fears for her daughter’s health first arose when the doctor informed her of the need to perform a blood transfusion for Eryqha a day after birth.
“They told me that since she was born, she has been vomiting, and her jaundice levels hit 400 plus already, so they had to send her for blood transfusion and into inter-care…” she recounted shakily, “until now, she’s suffered a lot.”
Nine-year-old Eryqha was diagnosed with a blood disorder where red blood cells are spherical instead of concave in shape, impairing oxygen transport and delivery to the body, leading to anaemia and jaundice, among other conditions. For Eryqha, this means frequent fatigue and low immunity, which have impaired her school and daily experiences.
“After blood transfusions, we have to monitor her condition,” Madam Dalia explained, “if she turns yellow or has a fever, she’ll be admitted [to the hospital].”
She went on to describe situations in which Eryqha would be overwhelmed with fatigue and stop playing with her siblings altogether, one of the earliest symptoms of her deteriorating condition after blood transfusions.
For Madam Dalia, Eryqha’s condition is not new to her, having lived with blood disorders herself. While her other two children may have presented similar symptoms, Eryqha’s condition remains the most severe one.
“She [has already had] her gall bladder removed, and now they’re [monitoring the need] to remove her spleen. We [continue to] pray hard that she [doesn’t] get feverish. When she gets [a] fever, it becomes more difficult [for her].”
Staying afloat in troubled waters
Currently, Eryqha is a Primary 3 student. When asked about her academic and social experiences, her mother responded that Eryqha really enjoys school.
“Whenever she [is] admitted [to the hospital], she [would] always ask about homework. She loves to go to school.”
While her teachers have been informed of her health condition, her peers may raise questions on her health, especially when her symptoms become visible. Given her enrolment in a mainstream school, the implications of her condition remain foreign to most young students, often leading Eryqha to become somewhat self-conscious, consulting her parents during these confusing situations.
“She would tell me, ‘Mommy, my friends asked me why my eyes are yellow’,” Madam Dalia related, “so I [would] tell her, ‘don’t bother [about it], you go to school to study and be a good student, don’t worry about what people [may] say’.
According to Madam Dalia, she is thankful that Eryqha does not take these comments from her peers to heart and chooses to focus her efforts on her schoolwork. At the same time, while she can mostly attend her classes in school, her participation in physical education lessons can be challenged by her health at times.
“She can’t [really participate in sports]. We have a letter [from the doctor that says] that she can’t do heavy-duty exercises, like jumping.”
All hands on deck
In the face of adversity, Eryqha remains undeterred in school and in social situations, choosing to be optimistic and excited about life. Her mother recounted a particular episode where their family had an outing to the Trick Eye Museum. She was heartened by how excited Eryqha was as she interacted with the exhibitions, especially since this outing had been long-awaited by the family. But perhaps no memory is as indelible as Eryqha’s expression of gratitude towards her mother, a gesture that deeply moved Madam Dalia.
“On my birthday, she made me a card,” she narrated tearfully. “She said, ‘thank you for taking care of me, thank you for feeding me.”
Eryqha lives with her parents, grandmother and two siblings, where a regular day for her consists of going to school, painting, and playing with her siblings and pet cat. The family’s income was badly affected by the CoVid’19 pandemic, where her father’s earnings as a taxi driver hit an all-time low. However, due to the family’s need for a flexible schedule, it is challenging to search for other occupations.
“If he has the type of job that [requires him to be out all] day, I [won’t be able to] handle [the household] on my own,” Madam Dalia explained, “[we need to] fetch the kids in the morning, fetch Eryqha, and I need to take care of my mother-in-law too. If [he had] a monthly [paying] job, [there] could be [higher income] for us, but if I have to do everything myself, I really can’t manage.”
A beacon of light
When the pandemic first hit Eryqha’s family, Club Rainbow provided financial aid to assist them in coping with the ramifications on the family’s income. Eryqha is also a recipient of the Club Rainbow Bursary Award as part of the Rainbow Academic Support Programme, as a recognition of her outstanding performance in school despite her medical condition.
Currently, Club Rainbow provides the family with food rations and other amenities, as well as support from Club Rainbow social workers. When asked how Eryqha has been dealing with the pandemic, Madam Dalia conveyed how thankful she was to have a thoughtful and sensible daughter in Eryqha.
“She’s very understanding, very humble,” she told us. “She knows that her parents [have] financial problems, so she doesn’t [ask for much]. So when we have plan[s] to bring them for [an] outing, [we’re] happy for them. […] We can see… how happy she is, when [we have an outing].”
Above all, Madam Dalia is hopeful that her daughter’s medical condition will improve with time. As someone whose loved one is suffering from a blood disorder, she seeks solace from prayer and support from her family.
“I think as parents we cannot give up,” she emphasized, “we must be patient, [and we shouldn’t] scold [the children] because they never asked to be born with the illness.”
“Sometimes people will [tell us], ‘I don’t think she’ll get better, but you’ll never know, maybe someday she’ll be okay? So as parents, I think [we don’t have to feel] regretful [or] disappointed. For us, we don’t have such thoughts; we will follow the flow and hope the best for her.”
a marketing university student in Singapore who loves bubble tea and coffee more than anything. She also enjoys music and film, and tries her best to read as much as she can.
As a language lover, she is proficient in English, Mandarin and Japanese, and enjoys the occasional debate about the areas these 3 languages have in common, especially when it comes to dissecting song lyrics.
Rachel identifies her purpose in life as engaging with like-minded people and bringing joy to others through her words.