PETALING JAYA: A five-year-old boy named Milo, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy making him unable to stand nor walk, requires aid to sustain his medical needs and education amounting to RM45,000.
He comes from a broken family and was entrusted to the care of his aunt who can no longer look after the boy as well.
Fortunately, Milo was taken in by the Malaysian Association for The Welfare of Mentally Challenged Children (IQ70Plus) that cared for his daily needs.
On his thoughts of going to school, Milo excitedly replied that he is looking forward to attending school and making new friends to play with.
"I am ready for school!" he said, anticipating all the things he would be learning in kindergarten.
The association's administrator, Pu Shu Shan explained that he is a very optimistic and smart boy despite all the challenges he faced.
"We want to make sure he receives the best education possible and hopefully we can send him to a kindergarten soon," she told the New Straits Times.
She added that Milo undergoes weekly physiotherapy to strengthen his leg muscles which will eventually allow him to move freely.
"The physiotherapy is necessary so he can look forward to standing and walking on his own in the future.
"He also cooperates well with the physiotherapist and caretaker by diligently following the instructions and tries his best to loosen his muscles during the sessions," she said.
However, the pandemic had restricted the association from organising any physical fundraising event in fear of exposing the children in their centre to the virus.
In return, it became harder for them to reach their targeted funds for Milo to continue receiving his physiotherapy and education.
The physiotherapy costs about RM12,960 per year while his education is estimated at least RM6,000 per year.
Additionally, there are also calculated costs for milk powder and diapers (RM4,500 per year) including nursing fees (RM21,600 per year).
"Currently, we operate by doing online fundraising through Facebook and WhatsApp to make sure we gain enough funding while prioritising the children's safety.
"We spend roughly RM100,000 every month to take care of our 72 residents, and with the addition of Milo to our big family.
"We hope that we can collect enough funds for Milo and let him study in a kindergarten while receiving the physiotherapy that he deserves," she said.
The public can help by making donations to the association's Hong Leong current account 2910 0028 158 and forward the payment details through IQ70Plus WhatsApp at 010-238 7072 or https://iq70plusofficial563.wasap.my. They can also email to [email protected].
