Parents appeal for help after their 2-year-old is diagnosed with cancer that affects 1 in 1 million kids worldwide

SINGAPORE: Little Jealene Caleisha Tanjaya is currently at the National University Hospital, and her parents are hoping to receive financial help so she can receive the treatment that can save her life.

The two-and-a-half-year-old has a type of blood cancer called Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia. This cancer is so rare that it infects only one in 1,000,000 children across the globe.

In the description on her crowdfunding page on the Give.Asia platform, her mum, Melisa, also noted that the illness is a type of high-risk leukaemia that is difficult to treat.

“She is a good, strong, and cheerful girl; she always smiles even in the hardest situations. We never thought that inside her body, there were deadly cancer cells,” Melisa added.

She wrote that Jealene’s rare illness began as 2023 was drawing to a close when her parents noticed that the toddler got red spots on her face every time she cried.

At first, she only had one or two spots, which disappeared after a few days. However, later on, more spots began to show up on her face and body when Jealene cried.

Doctors in Surabaya, Indonesia, initially said the spots could have been due to an allergy, platelet aggregation, or hemangioma.

However, when her parents decided on a complete blood test on April 1, 2024, Jealene was diagnosed with leukaemia, or cancer of the blood, as indicated by a high white blood cell and a low platelet count.

Her parents then brought her to NUH, which is where they learned about the rare type of leukaemia Jealene has.

“She needs chemotherapy and a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) soon in the next 3 months to cure her,” Melisa wrote, adding that the procedure is expected to cost over S$330,000.

“Every single contribution will be a strength and hope for Jealene to continue her treatment and back to her cheerful life,” she wrote, appealing for Jealene’s story to be shared as well.

The funds raised will be managed by Give.Asia and paid directly to the NUH. As of the writing of this piece, around S$140,700 has been raised.

In the most recent update, Melisa wrote that Jealene had been scheduled for her 10th cycle of chemotherapy on Nov 19 (Tuesday), which will take five days.

Jealene is also scheduled for admission on Dec 5 to begin the bone marrow transplant process, with her father being the bone marrow donor. “We beg your prayers and support for Jealene through this,” her mum added. /TISG

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