BACHOK: A chronic heart disease patient who also suffers from leaking heart valve, Afrizam Drawi @ Md Arif, 40, needs about RM15,000 to cover the cost of treatment including immediate surgery which have to be held in one week.
He has to be warded on Dec 11 to prepare for two procedures, a heart bypass and to repair or replace the valve, scheduled for Dec 15.
“The medical specialist in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM), Kubang Kerian, has confirmed that my heart is very weak with only 29 percent function,” he told reporters when met at his home in Kampung Pak Badol here today.
Afrizam, a salesman with a private company, earns a take-home monthly salary of RM1,200, and is a father of three school-going children, while his wife, Habsah Ismail, 40, is a homemaker.
“At first, I thought it was just a gastric problem but I was wrong, the specialist confirmed that I had a chronic heart disease that requires immediate surgery.
“The specialists said my surgery is of higher risk compared to other heart patients. The risk is triple because my heart is very weak and after the surgery, I need to be hospitalised for quite a while to allow the cardiac function to increase to at least 45 per cent.
Prior to this, he had been referred to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZII) and had undergone an angiogram and angioplasty, but the procedure was unsuccessful as his heart was 100 per cent blocked in three spots.
He said besides the heart problem that the doctor suspected had occurred since birth, he also suffered from gallstones which were diagnosed last August.
“Six months after the heart surgery, I will have to undergo another surgery, scheduled for June 2020, to remove the 1.7 centimetre gallstones in the gallbladder,” he said.
Those who wish to lend a hand can direct their donations to Maybank account number 153010407852 (Habsah Ismail) or call 010-9261998. — Bernama
