Three years ago, life took a devastating turn for 13-year-old Kirtna Mahendran. Her brother, Devan Raj, was involved in a tragic accident that left him in a vegetative state. Declared beyond saving by doctors, Raj’s heart miraculously began beating again after their mother prayed desperately beside him.
Today, Raj, now 23, is completely bedridden and unresponsive. He is cared for round the clock by his sister and 68-year-old grandmother, Tangga Lahmi Supiah. The two take turns feeding him through a nasal tube, changing his diapers, and ensuring his medication is given on time. Kirtna also helps prepare meals and tends to his hygiene needs.
Recently, Raj suffered two medical emergencies—one involving vomiting blood, the other a seizure. Both required ambulance intervention. Although he is currently stable, the threat of further complications looms constantly.
Raj has already endured eight brain surgeries. His survival is nothing short of a miracle, but it came at a staggering cost. His grandmother had to discharge him early from the hospital due to an overwhelming RM70,000 in unpaid medical bills.
Caring for Raj is a full-time job. Grandmother Tangga, elderly and unable to work, juggles caregiving with household chores and looking after Kirtna, who continues to attend school despite their financial strain. At one point, even school attendance became impossible when they couldn’t afford the transport fare.
Before the accident, Raj supported the family after their father died of a heart attack. Then, in a cruel twist, their mother, Mariammal, passed away, also from a heart attack, not long after Raj’s accident. While alive, she battled both heart disease and kidney failure, undergoing dialysis three times a week.
Kirtna has endured more hardship than most adults, losing both parents, caring for her incapacitated brother, and living with a learning disability herself. It's a heartbreaking load for a child to bear.
Thankfully, New Life Foundation steps in to offer help. Visiting the family three to four times a month at their home in Petaling Jaya, the foundation’s social workers provide groceries, medication, and basic household necessities.
“The most urgent needs right now are Raj’s diapers and medication,” said Howard Leong, a volunteer who visits regularly. “They never ask for help. It’s only when we check their kitchen that we realise how little they actually have.”
Physiotherapy could improve Raj’s condition, but transport costs to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) are out of reach. “Each time Raj has a doctor’s appointment, his grandmother has to call an ambulance,” Howard added.
New Life Foundation continues to raise funds to help settle the RM70,000 in medical debts and to support the family’s day-to-day survival through Malaysiakini's fundraising online portal, known as Sokong.
This is a family that refuses to give up, no matter how impossible the odds.
You can make a difference. Please consider supporting Devan Raj and his family in their fight for dignity and survival.
Donate now via Sokong.
Carolyn Khor is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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