Five-month-old boy undergoes eight surgeries to treat hydrocephalus

IPOH - No mother's heart is willing to see her baby's fragile body repeatedly taken in and out of the operation theatre.

But that is the reality that Zazilatuakma Mohd Zabidi, 39, had to face when her five-month-old son, Muhamad Muzaffar Dannish Mohamad Nasir, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess fluid builds up in the brain.

Zazilatuakma said the disease was detected when Muzaffar was three months old.

Since then, he had to undergo multiple surgeries to install a shunt, a tube that diverts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.

"By the time he was five months old, my baby had undergone surgery eight times just to change and insert tubes

"This is the only method available at the moment because permanent shunt installation cannot be done.

"The doctor detected a bacterial infection in my baby's brain," she told Sinar.

Zazilatuakma, who works as a salesperson, said Muzaffar is now under close supervision by medical experts at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) in Ipoh and needs to be monitored every two days.

If the infection clears, a permanent shunt can be installed immediately. The shunt costs around RM3,000 and is essential to prevent worse symptoms.

"My baby was born prematurely at 27 weeks and the doctor suspected something was wrong from the beginning.

"It was only after a CT scan that the disease was detected. Treatment after treatment was carried out," she added.

Zazilatuakma and her husband, Mohamad Nasir Mt Isa, 36, who works in a factory, hope that the efforts and treatments will heal their child.

She said that Muzaffar has never been home in Sungai Siput since he was born.

"This hospital is like a second home to me and my husband. My other two children, aged six and two, have never hugged or kissed their little brother. They have only seen his face through video calls.

"I really hope that when he can take in a permanent tube later, I can bring him home healthy," she said.

Those who wish to make donations can do so by contacting Zazilatuakma at 019-5708480.