9-year-old girls with rare diseases can cause liver and spleen rupture

The rare disease called Gaucher causes swelling of the liver and spleen of Zecia, Singapore, and a breakdown of a fat in the body.

Zecia Chew, 9 years old, Singapore, suffers from a rare disease with expensive treatment costs. If you do not go to the hospital for treatment every month, Zecia's liver and spleen will swell, then break and lead to death.

According to the doctors, the baby is called Gaucher. The patient will lack an enzyme that removes glucocerebroside fat , causing them to accumulate in organs in the body. Every two weeks, Zecia must go to the hospital for enzyme replacement treatment . According to her parents, in addition to Zecia, only two other children have contracted the disease in Singapore.

Picture 1 of 9-year-old girls with rare diseases can cause liver and spleen rupture
Zecia Chew is facing a disease that needs monthly treatment.(Photo: Straitstimes).

Chew Tuck Choy, 38, the father of Zecia, said Gaucher's disease was the cause of her swelling. The family is still paid by the government the majority of Zecia's medical treatment.

"Zecia's stomach is as big as a pregnant woman. She has edema, unable to keep her body balanced, constantly falling," Zecia's father recalls.

The family's monthly income is normal but the couple has spent 30,000 SGD to treat their daughter. Currently, the Zecia family lives comfortably but does not have much savings, due to the cost of treating her.

As Zecia grew up, the disease became more severe and the cost of treatment was more expensive, my family hoped that government support could be enough to cover."We hardly save anything. But the most important thing is that Zecia is healthy," Zecia's father said.