PETALING JAYA: The family of 16-year-old Meera Bernadette, who has been battling end-stage liver disease, has successfully raised the RM300,000 needed for her life-saving liver transplant in India.
Her mother, Mariamma Govindan, 50, confirmed that the family reached their target late Tuesday evening after an overwhelming wave of public support from across the country.
“We have reached the full amount last night. I truly didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.
“Our target was by the end of the month, or maybe the first week of November. But the response was incredible,“ she said when contacted by theSun.
With the funds secured, the family is now preparing to fly to India on Nov 12 for the transplant procedure at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.
Mariamma said she and her husband will accompany Meera for the operation, while her other children will remain in Malaysia under the care of her mother.
“We’ve already made the arrangements. For the first few days, we’ll stay at a hotel near the hospital before moving to a small apartment or bed-and-breakfast nearby.
“I’ll be staying at the hospital with Meera throughout her recovery, while her father will commute daily.”
Meera, a childhood liver cancer survivor, was first diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at the age of six. Since then, she has undergone three major surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy.
In recent years, her condition worsened into biliopulmonary and biliogastric fistula, a rare complication that has caused liver failure, cirrhosis, and portal hypertension.
Doctors at several hospitals, including the University Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM), advised the family that her case was too complex to be performed locally.
The family launched a donation drive earlier this month to raise RM300,000 for the surgery, travel, and post-transplant care.
Mariamma said she has been deeply moved by the public’s generosity.
“I’m really grateful for all the donations and messages. Without everyone’s help, we couldn’t have made it this far.
“I’ll continue updating everyone on Meera’s progress on Facebook once we’re in India,” she said.
The campaign also drew support from Hamidi’s Comrades in Charity (HCIC), a volunteer organisation that helped share Meera’s story and mobilise contributions.
HCIC secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah, 66, said the group managed to collect around RM12,000, while most donations were sent directly to Mariamma’s account.
“We’ve stopped the collection after confirming the target was reached. It only took five days and the response was overwhelming,” he said.
Hamidi added that the outcome reflects the strength of collective goodwill.
“We thank everyone who contributed, including theSun, for helping raise awareness. This shows how much good can be achieved when people come together,” he said.
