Background

Muhammad Rasul is 10 years old. Unlike most active 10-year olds, Rasul suffers from hydranencephaly which is a severe congenital deformity of the brain. His brain is fully undeveloped, and he is completely wheelchair bound and is entirely dependent on his family particularly his mother to care for him. He is unable to consume solid food and depends entirely on a special formulated milk fed through a feeding tube which is attached to his abdominal wall. Rasul also suffers from seizures and spasticity. He attends a special needs school for a few hours a day on most days. Rasul is non-communicative however, he understands his name and recognises the voices of his family members. Rasul has three other siblings between the ages of 5 – 14 years old and also stays with his two elderly paternal grandparents.

The Struggle

Rasul’s father, Mr Ridwan who is 46 years old this year, works as an aircraft technician. Mr Ridwan tries to work overtime in order to supplement his income and to be able to better provide for his family, however, his overtime income is not fixed, and he struggles to provide for his family including his elderly parents. His wife, Mdm Rahayu, is unable to work as she is Rasul’s full time caregiver. Caring for a special need’s child is not easy and the family currently struggles to get by.

Financial breakdown

Rasul is unable to consume solid food and is solely dependent on a special formulated milk which is not subsidised. Ray of Hope would like to raise S$2,304 (S$384 x 6 months) to defray the cost of Rasul’s special milk powder for 6 months.

Please give hope to Rasul and his resilient family as they continue to care for Rasul for life. Mr Ridwan is working extremely hard in order to give Rasul a dignified life however, his salary is insufficient to fully provide for his family. Unlike most people who are able to have meal substitutions, Rasul is entirely dependent on his special milk powder to live.

*Mr Ridwan is not under government financial assistance