S'porean cancer patient in critical condition stuck in Saudi Arabia, family appealing for donations
She was in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage.
Low Jia Ying |
June 04, 2022, 06:17 PM
A Singaporean woman, who was scheduled to return to Singapore on Jun. 1 after completing her pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, is unable to return home after falling critically ill there.
The woman, Rosanah Sahar, is also a cancer patient, according to her niece, who put up a
public appeal for donations on Facebook on Jun. 2.
The family hopes to raise enough funds to cover the unexpected medical bills and to bring Rosanah home.
What happened
According to her niece's Facebook post, Rosanah had been cleared to go on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, which she had been planning for some time.
During the pilgrimage, Rosanah then started to develop a cough and a fever which lasted a few days.
Bruises also started to appear on her upper limbs.
As more days went by, her condition started to deteriorate, and she suffered a nose bleed as well.
A blood test at a clinic in Saudi Arabia found that her platelet count was low.
Rosanah was given some Panadol and cough syrup before being discharged by a doctor, the niece wrote in her post.
Nose started bleeding before flight, vomited blood
When Rosanah's pilgrimage was over, she went to the airport to board her flight back to Singapore.
But it was then that her nose started to bleed again non-stop.
She was attended to by a flight attendant and a medical team, and was told she would not be able to take the flight.
She was admitted to the hospital, and later discharged after one night.
She attempted to board another flight back to Singapore the next morning, but while waiting, she started vomiting blood.
Rosanah was then sent to King Abdullah Medical Complex in Jeddah where she is now warded in the cardiac care unit and in critical condition.
Rosanah's son, 29-year-old Fathir Fauzan, flew to Jeddah on Jun. 2, to be with his mother, according to
Berita.
Family appealing for donations to help with medical costs
The niece made a public appeal for donations to help with Rosanah's medical bills and flight home.
The niece said the medical expenses included procedures like blood and platelet transfusions, X-rays, scans, and blood tests. Other expenses include Rosanah's hospital stay and medication.
Speaking to
Berita, Fathir confirmed that his cousins had launched a fundraiser, but said he does not yet have an estimate of how much is needed as he has not spoken to the hospital.