As a frail Amanda Mei Chu and her father stepped out of their car today, their eyes fell on the hospital building – a sight that brought not just relief, but hope after years of uncertainty.
In her excitement, the 29-year-old managed to walk a few steps, but soon stopped to catch her breath.
Her adoptive father, Dominic Damian, quickly brought her a wheelchair and pushed her to the infectious diseases clinic for HIV patients at Sungai Buloh Hospital.
“I’m relieved. At least she’s getting treatment after eight years, before it becomes any worse,” Damian told FMT.
Yesterday, FMT highlighted the story of Amanda, an abandoned baby born with HIV who had been on treatment since childhood, but had her care abruptly cut off in 2017 after being told she was not a Malaysian citizen.
On the same day, the Malaysian AIDS Council and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation immediately stepped in to help, something Damian said was only possible because of media coverage.
“It would not have been possible without FMT, who got the ball rolling. It actually shone a light in the darkness, exposing the inadequacy in the system,” he said.
Amanda’s health had faltered without access to medication, with Damian fearing at times that each night could be her last.
He said she will be admitted for scans today, the first step before doctors can decide on a treatment plan.
Damian said Amanda’s case shows how Malaysia’s stateless children often fall through the cracks, pointing out how she was unable to access regular treatment despite living her whole life in the country.
“She is stateless because she has a birth certificate, but has no parental background. That’s unfortunately what happens with any abandoned child whose parents you can’t trace,” he said.
Damian also said full and formal adoption was not possible without proper paperwork.
“We don’t have proper certification or birth certificates. So it is a little tricky there. There are other procedural challenges that need to be negotiated,” he said.
He said he remains cautious as such and hopes the treatment will not only be for one time, but a “lifetime of treatment”.
He said support has also poured in from Malaysians of all races, leaving him deeply moved.
“I am thankful. Besides the Malaysian AIDS Council and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, there has been an exceptional number of people – strangers, kids, and church members – who have come forward.
“My previous music students have come out generously with goodwill. They opened themselves and asked ‘what can we do?’. That’s important. It shows the true Malaysian side of Malaysia,” said the music teacher.
