Kai Xin as of 30 June 2009

Kai Xin's fever has been contained and she have stabilised by now. She under went ultra sound scan this morning.

It is with great joy that Huey Jing has been given the green light to be the liver donor after all the assessments. We're all rejoiced to hear this and our prayers are with them always.

Kai Xin as of 29 June 2009

We have received Eric's latest update late last night. Kai Xin had a safe journey of 3.5 hours to reach NUH, Singapore on 27 June 2009 (Sat). Eric mentioned that everything was smooth and went well during the journey.

On Day One, Kai Xin was admitted to High Dependency Unit (HDU). All conditions were under control and Kai Xin was well taken care of by the doctors and nurses.

The doctors assessed Kai Xin on the morning of Day Two and everything is well that she was transferred to the general ward which is a good sign. Apparently the authorities in Malaysia did a great job and prepared her well, of course together with all your well wishes cum prayers.

Ultra sound will be conducted on Kai Xin for further assessment and to settle down her fever, antibiotic treatment will be given (usually 2 - 3 times a week).

If everything is all right, the transplant will be carried out soon as Kai Xin's liver is not in favourable condition.

We have received requests asking for a daily update of the collection but we're afraid that we won't be able to do that at the moment as The Lokes are in NUH, Singapore now. We'll try to get the amount from Eric when possible. The transplant will go ahead as they're confident that the amount will be met with the attention given by the press and also your generous donations.

With our hands clasped and brought close to our hearts, on behalf of The Lokes, we thank you for your compassion and generosity.

Kai Xin as of 26 June 2009

Huey Jing is down in Singapore today for her final assessments. Kai Xin's condition is not very stable, hence the doctors in UMSC are urging the liver transplant team to have the transplant done ASAP despite not meeting the required weight.

UMSC will be sending Kai Xin down to NUH tomorrow in an ambulance accompanied by a medical officer. The liver transplant team should be able to finalised the transplant date once they checked on Kai Xin's condition.

Thank you and please pray hard for us.

Note: The comments are moderated and will only appear once we approve them. So you don't need to submit your comments more than once.

Kai Xin in China Press on 22nd June 2009

Click to enlarge

The Star's Metro Section Highlighted Our Plight Today

Thursday June 25, 2009
Eight-month old’s only hope lies in a liver transplant
By STUART MICHAEL


EIGHT-MONTH-OLD Loke Kai Xin is in need of a liver transplant.

Kai Xin, born on Oct 22 last year, was diagnosed with biliary atresia after developing jaundice when she was only three months old, and her parents have been advised that she should undergo liver transplant surgery at the National University Hospital, Singapore (NUHS).

Biliary atresia is a condition in which the bile produced by the liver cannot flow from the liver to the gall bladder, resulting in liver damage and ultimately, liver failure.

According to Kai Xin’s father, Eric Loke Lee Ping, the only place in Malaysia where liver transplant surgery is carried out is the Selayang Hospital, where the waiting period is a year.

In need of a liver transplant: Lee with Kai Xin. The baby has jaundice and a bloated belly, both signs of liver failure.

“In February, Kai Xin underwent a Kasai procedure (surgical treatment to allow bile from the liver to bypass blocked bile ducts) at the Sunway Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya but it was unsuccessful, and we were advised that a liver transplant was her only remaining option.

“As she was underweight, we were advised by the University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC) to seek medical help in Singapore,” said Loke, who was with his daughter and wife Lee Huey Jing at the UMSC in Petaling Jaya on Saturday.

“The doctor at NUHS told us that my wife is the most suitable donor.

“However, the medical team at NUHS has not scheduled any tentative date for the operation because Kai Xin’s weight has not reached the minimum requirement of 8kg.

“Kai Xin now weighs about 7kg, and only when she is at least 7.6kg will NUHS arrange a date,” he said.

To help Kai Xin gain weight, she has been warded at the UMSC where she is fed less milk volume but at increased frequency, using a feeding pump at night.

Loke said the liver transplant operation was estimated to cost RM500,000, inclusive of medical treatment like pre-surgery assessment procedures, post-operative care and follow-ups.

It is a sum that the couple cannot bear in full, and as such, they are appealing for help from the public.

A fund has been set up for Kai Xin under Yayasan Sin Chew.

Those who would like to make a contribution may issue a cheque to Yayasan Sin Chew, with the beneficiary’s name, donor’s full name, IC number, complete address and telephone number written on the back. The cheque should be sent to Yayasan Sin Chew at 19, Jalan Semangat, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Yayasan Sin Chew opens from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

For enquiries, call 03-7965 8888 / 03-7965 8675.

Source: The Star Metro: Baby's Cry For Help

Kai Xin as of 24 June 2009

Dear all,

Thank you for all your prayers, support and donations. I hope those who have been asking for our email or contact numbers would understand that we could not possibily entertain all calls or enquiries on our own. Rest assure you that all comments and emails directed to this blog will be looked into not only by myself but also but some friends whom I've entrusted them to manage this blog.

At the moment, myself and Huey Jing are working during the day whilst Kai Xin is taken care of by her babysitter alternating with my mother at the hospital. After work, Huey Jing and I, took over and take care of Kai Xin during the night and we go to work from hospital the next morning. It's very tiring and taxing but we have to do it for Kai Xin's sake.

At the moment, there isn't much improvement on Kai Xin's weight and her condition can be good on some days but not so favourable on certain days. Hence, the doctor in UMSC is urging the liver transplant team to reconsider and have the transplant done soonest possible.

We will update once there is any further development.

Thank you.

Regards,
Eric

Error Message Whilst Transfering Using Maybank2U

Dear donors,

We were informed that there were occassions where there is an error message that states "Unsuccessful - Account is not authorised. Reject code: [0076]" when transfers were done via Maybank2U. Please do note that it is a genuine error due to overwhelming of transactions to Kai Xin's account.

The interim solution at the moment by Maybank is to update the passbook every hour on a daily basis including Saturdays and Sundays to clear the logs.

We would like to thank you for your patience and thousands of apologies for any inconveniences caused.

Maybank Account Jammed

Please accept our apologies if you have encountered any problem whilst transfering money to Kai Xin's bank account yesterday. Due to overwhelming of transfers, the account jammed up. Maybank have deleted the logs and it's now in working order again.

Thank you and sorry for any inconveniences caused.

Sin Chew Jit Poh's Metro Edition Highlighted Our Plight

Sin Chew Jit Poh highlighted our plight in the Metro Edition section (click to enlarge) on 15 June 2009:-







You can donate via Sin Chew Jit Poh by:

1. Issue a cheque to Yayasan Sin Chew.

2. Behind the cheque, please state beneficiary name's, in this case, Loke Kai Xin; and donor's details ie. Chinese/English name, NRIC, address and contact number.

3. Yayasan Sin Chew will mail the donor the official receipt for the contribution after clearance of the cheque. For cash donation, the receipt will be issued immediately.

4. Send or submit your cheque to:

Yayasan Sin Chew
19 Jalan Semangat
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Yayasan Sin Chew opens from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.

For enquiry, please contact: 03-79658888/79658675 (Yayasan Sin Chew)

Yayasan Sin Chew will facilitate the contributions received and will liaise directly with the hospital on the payment of the costs. In the event there is any excess after the payments have been made, the balance of the donations received will be channeled to other charity.

Thank You for All the Well Wishes and Update on Kai Xin (Dated 11 June 2009)

To all dearest friends, colleagues, and friends’ friends

First of all, I would like to say thank you in a million for the kindness help out and support on us (money, lucky star, lucky rice, prays, well wishes and etc). At here, I would like to make an updates to you all on how is Kai Xin and also the trip to Singapore.

We are safe and backed to Malaysia from Singapore after several assessments were carried out included recipient and donor. For Kai Xin, she went through all the assessments; her status for now is still ok and if she don’t carry out the liver transplant operation, surely will lead to the liver failure.

As usual, a lot of relatives, colleagues, friends asked me when is the operation is going to carry out, is the transplant operation date being fixed and etc. However, myself and even the liver transplant team couldn’t given me a tentative date for the operation because her weight is not up to the requirement 8.0 kg (at least 7.6 kg and above, they will start the workout and most probably arrange the date for us). It is because the main factors for the transplant is not only timing, it is also depend on the patient’s requirement and health condition. Thus, we only can do for now is pushing up her weight and maintain her healthy level at the tip-top condition.

For you all information, as spoken to the liver transplant team, to workout a liver transplant is not easy as compare to other operation. They required a lot of assessments to be carried out for both recipient and donor. When everything (patient’s weight, health condition for patient and donor, mentality readiness, and so on) is ready for the patient and donor, they will quickly arrange the operation in the soonest time. Surely, they wouldn’t take the risk to go for the operation if the patient and even the donor are not fit.

On donor side, since father is not a suitable person to be the donor, now they work out the assessment on mother. The reason is father’s liver artery is too short and narrow if the surgeon cut out the left lobe of the liver. Although there is no risk for father, but it will lead for future complication and the result will not be good for Kai Xin. When I heard this outcome, I feel so sad and really cried out after walked out from surgeon’s clinical room.

I think the GOD must has more important tasks for father to carry out. On the day, it is a very difficult night (Thursday) for me and Huey Jing to fall in sleep, we feel worry, tension, fear and etc. Because right after the surgeon turned down me as the donor, immediate we arranged Huey Jing to carry out the most important test (CT Scan) on Friday morning. Is very lucky and I think mostly there are a lot of wishes, prayers from you all to support us, Huey Jing successfully went through the vital scan and her liver size and artery structure is very complete and straight forward (our legs were shaking when the pediatric surgeon Prof. Prabha [liver transplant main surgeon] opened up the hospital system to go through the scanned result in front of us, wow at that moment both of us can only pray, pray and pray). So at this stage, Huey Jing is a suitable donor prior the rest of the assessments.

So the next course of action in summary is: -

• Kai Xin has to gain her weight up to 8 Kg, liver transplant team will arrange the day for operation when her weight up to 7.6 Kg (Current weight, 7.2 kg inclusive of water in tummy)


• Maintain Kai Xin’s healthy level as good as possible


• Mother can carry out the rest of the assessments anytime


• Kai Xin will stay in UM for longer period in order to gain up her weight. As recommended by doctor, they will use a feeding pump to feed her gradually in the night time (less milk volume and increase feeding frequency).

Lastly, we couldn’t believe the response is so well after we mailed out our story to our closed group friends, colleagues, relatives and other friends which we don’t know them as well. You all are always in our heart because you all giving us the best supports from money (as of 9 June 09, RM 38,435.00), well wishes, lucky stars, lucky rice, and also prayers from everywhere such as churches, temples, mosques and etc.

We will stay strong and continue the long journey with our Little Kai Xin.

Eric, Huey Jing and Little Kai Xin

The First Appeal Sent Out by Our Ex-Colleague

Dear fellow colleagues,

Good day to you:

Never in my life I’ve ever thought that one day I’ll be doing this for people I’ve known personally. All along it has always been strangers or the closest is friend of friend’s. The need has now arise and I hereby wish to appeal for help on behalf of our ex-colleague, Eric Loke and Lee Huey Jing, (both formerly from Formis Software Dynamics Sdn Bhd).

Their daughter Loke Kai Xin was diagnosed with biliary atresia at 3 months old and a Kasai procedure was done in February then. Unfortunately, the procedure did not cure her condition and was advised liver transplant as her last and only option.

Due to her weight, she was advised by UMSC to seek medical help from Singapore. After the first round of pre-assessment at National University Hospital S’pore, both parents were found to be suitable donors for Kai Xin. As of today, 1st, June 2009, both parents are in NUH (Sg) for the second round of pre-assessment to confirm and determine their suitability to be donors.

The total cost including post-operations and follow up expected to be at the region of RM500k (liver transplant and pre-assessment SGD200k, post ops, follow ups etc) or more due to her age.

This amount is just too high for them to bear in full; therefore they are appealing for our help. They have also contacted NST but NST has a condition before publish their plight - the confirmed donor information and operation date - which Eric could only provide after the second pre-assessment.

A fund has been set-up for Kai Xin with following bank account details. For those who are keen, kindly deposit your donations (cash or cheque) in favour of:

Name: Loke Kai Xin
Maybank Berhad A/C No.: 1-14013-213313

May the compassion of Medicine Buddha cure all illnesses that is afflicting Loke Kai Xin now. May she has a speedy recovery, long and healthy life!

Thank you.

Rgds,
Pick Shan


Chan Pick Shan
Sr Quality Assurance Specialist
Formis BASS Software Sdn Bhd
20th Floor Menara PanGlobal
8 Lorong P. Ramlee
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2070 5588
Fax: +603 2031 9403


-----------------------------------------

Eric and Huey Jing’s email as follows:


Dear all,

My daughter Kai Xin has prolonged jaundice. When she is 3 months plus old, went for blood test and detected that she has biliary atresia, bile flow from the liver to the gallbladder is blocked. Doc told us that she has to immediately go for operation else her liver will be failure. We was informed that the best time to operate is six weeks after birth. However, when my daughter went for the operation she was 110 days age which means the success of the procedure is poor. Before the operations, the Doc told us that if she detected in later which is 4 -5 months age, they wouldn't advice or proceed for operations because the liver already failure. Doc also told us that if the operation completed within an hour, that means they can't proceed the procedure meanings her liver has failure. Although we are late, we cannot give out any chances to safe her life. So, she went for major operation known as kasai procedure in sunway medical center in Feb. We went thru very hard time and pray hard especially waiting outside of the operation room. The 1st hour is terrible to pass because we hope that the operation can be proceeding. God blessing the surgeon can proceed the operation for my daughter which took 3-4 hr. After the procedure, my daughter was in CCU one night and then change to normal wad after 24 hrs and stayed in the hospital for 9 days. Although we are very tired but most important and luckily the surgeon still can continue the kasai procedure for her to safe her.

After the operations, her motions slowly change from pile color to light yellow. Her jaundice still there. We went for follow up check up every week. However, the improvement is slow and Doc told us that if after two months from the operation, her jaundice still yet disappears and motion color not consistent with normal color meaning not good. We can't just wait until the second month check up again for the result.

Eric's colleague suggests seeking for 2nd opinion and her relative who is Prof in HUKM has introduced a Prof of Paediatrics Gasteroenterology/ Hepatology and Nutrition in UM to us. It is not easy to meet up those Prof especially in UH without appointment. Thanks god, Eric managed to find a contact number via internet and 1st time call managed to talk to the Prof Lee via phone. He advised to bring my daughter medical history to meet him. When Eric 1st visit to UH, the queue is so long and have to wait 40+ number only will be his turn. Eric talks to the nurses that just want to meet up with the Prof for while as the Prof asked him to see him. End up the nurse as him to sit at somewhere where the Prof will bypass. Luckily Eric had seen his picture on internet then can recognized him and approached him. The Prof Lee is very nice and sits down listen to Eric regarding my daughter’s condition.

Finally, we managed to make our 1st visit to Prof Lee in UMSC is 6 weeks after her operation. Upon examination, she still has moderate jaundice and her stools remained pale. Her liver was enlarged. Doc advice us that not to give out as there are babies with biliary atresia can be recovered with strong nutrition and advice us not to too worry about liver transplant at this moment. When we heard that still got chance to recover, we are so happy. She has not been gaining weight properly after the surgery. Therefore, Prof has introduced her to apply vitamin supplements vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin E, UDC, MCT Oil, a special die formula (Alimentum from Abbott) which taste is terrible for my daughter as this is the best formula which can help her absorb easily. This formula is not easy to find and limited, only available on selected Jusco. We have hard time to feed her because the taste is not nice. Subsequently, we brought kai xin for check up weekly at UMSC. Her weight slowly has gained compared to previous and little improvement on her jaundice. The Prof Lee is the best doctor that I never seen before. He provided us many advice and spirit support. We can contact him anytime as and when we has any quiry or need help.

Unfortunately, kai xin was admitted to UMSC hospital on April 21 for an episode of high fever for 8 days due to infection on her liver. Based on ultrasound, she is showing features of liver cirrhosis with minimal ascites. That means she is showing signs of liver failure. Liver transplant is required to save her. Baby with biliary atresia who has an unsuccessful kasai operation usually die of liver cirrhosis or complication at median age of 15 months. Therefore, kai xin needs an urgent assessment for suitability for liver transplant.

The only available liver transplant service available in Malaysia is at selayang hospital and usually will only accept children with body weight of 10 kg. However, kai xin is highly unlikely to achieve that kind of weight to enable her to be listed for liver transplant. Another hospital that can be considered is National University Hospital at SG. The liver transplant team comprised of highly skilled, multi-disciplinary team. Most important they generally accept baby who need liver transplant with weight 8kg. In order for her to gain weight adequately, Prof has introduced nocturnal feeding via nasagastric tube. We have to feed her every 3 hours using the NG tube as she started ill to drink milk. She must gain weight then only can go for the liver transplant.

We had decided to go to NUH for the liver transplant although the cost is very high about SGD 200K. Liver transplant is the only option for her to survive. We contacted the liver transplant coordinator in NUH and make appointment with them. We had visited to NUH on last week. We met up with the Dietitian, Liver coordinator, Hepatology specialist and Surgeon at NUH within half day. They are very professional and performed the first time clinical check up for my daughter. The pre-assessment for liver transplant is required to be arrange as soon as possible for my daughter and me or Eric who to be the suitable donor for kai xin. We have arranged to go to NUH for pre-assessment which required 1 week admission in hospital on early june 2009.

Unluckily, she sudden has fever again on last Friday and admitted to hospital again. Based on latest blood test result, her bilirubin has increase again. Her stomach getting bigger and bigger from day to day. We are very worry on her. She may needs to stay at hospital a week to clear the infection. We hope she can recover from infection soon then we can make it for the next week pre-assessment in NUH. Else, we have to reschedule to another week to SG. Nothing to gain while waiting. The risk for her is variable and increasing.

As parent, we hope ourselves suffer rather than she suffer. She is a fighter. Since birth until now, she has did many rounds blood tests, She is a baby girl likes to talk and smile. She brings happiness to us. Liver transplant is a big challenge and long journey we need to go thru with her. We pray hard for her. The most important thing right now is she need to be stable and fit until the liver transplant day. Either me or Eric must be the suitable donor for her. Else, she will be in very high risk and difficult to wait and find for another suitable donor. We pray hard for this not to be happen. We really hope she can be a healthy baby/kid like others. No matter how tough we had went through and need to go thru in future, we strongly believe she can overcome this.

Friends, please pray for my daughter. She need wishes and lucks from many people. Many many thanks and much appreciated from my family.

Sincerely, Huey Jing & Eric