Bintulu toddler Gonzalez Yiu still needs RM134,000 for life-saving second liver transplant in China

BINTULU (June 12): Bintulu toddler Gonzalez Yiu, who is battling Type II autoimmune hepatitis and end-stage liver disease, urgently needs an additional RM134,896.89 to undergo a second transplant in China.

His mother Viviana Thomas, 28, said the family has been desperately trying to raise RM231,930 in total for the life-saving surgery at Shanghai’s Renji Hospital.

“As of June 11, we’ve managed to raise RM97,033.11,” she said when contacted today.

Viviana said she hopes the remaining amount could be raised soon as Gonzalez’s second birthday will fall on July 7.

“We’re not even planning a birthday celebration anymore; we just want him to stay alive,” she said, adding that Gonzalez has been fighting the illness since he was six months old.

She explained that apart from the cost of the surgery and treatment, they also need to purchase a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine worth RM6,930 to help Gonzalez before and after surgery.

“We initially hoped to borrow the machine from another patient, but it was already sold to someone else in need,” she explained.

Gonzalez is currently under close observation at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) in Kuala Lumpur, while awaiting full funding and assistance from the Biliary Atresia Malaysia Association for documentation and ethical approval.

Donations can be channelled to Yayasan Nanyang Press (OCBC Bank account 701-120679-6) with the reference Gonzalez Yiu.

Those requiring tax exemption receipts can fill the online form and upload proof of payment via https://forms.gle/895dJk3KVp1bREho6.

In a previous report by Utusan Borneo on May 22, Viviana had said public donations were a last resort as the family had depleted its savings to cover medical needs, basic necessities, and travel costs.

In March last year, Gonzalez, the second of two children, underwent a liver transplant but suffered serious complications when the liver donated by his mother began to fail.

For the second transplant, Gonzalez’s father Yiu Kuok Ling, 30, will donate part of his liver.

Viviana can be contacted on 010-7661816.