Online Shopping at yvonne foong

July 1, 2007

Hi Malaysian and Singaporean!

In March 2007, a cluster of tumours were newly discovered adjacent to her right optic nerve. Orbital MRI and visual field tests showed that the tumors are causing mid-moderate pressure to the nerve. She can still read, but has difficulty focusing sometimes.

Close monitoring using MRI and visual tests are needed to detect any changes in tumor size. More tumors are growing in dangerous locations in her brain and spine, as well as along peripheral nerves under the skin.

One of the many worrisome tumor is growing admidst her Jugular Foramen in the brain.

The tumors need to be closely monitored by experienced surgeons in the field of Neurotology, Neurosurgery, and Neuro-Opthalmology.

Yvonne, who currently resides in Malaysia, is under the care of Dr. Rick A. Friedman and his associates at House Clinic, Los Angeles. Dr. Friedman had successfully removed two tumors from her brain in recent years.

Yvonne needs around RM4,000-RM5,000 every six months for brain and spine MRIs, visual field tests, and miscellaneous medical expenditures. This is not inclusive of unforeseen circumstances.

By selling Heart4Hope merchandise online, Yvonne hopes to continuously raise funds for healthcare.
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Yvonne Foong was only 16 years old when doctors diagnosed her with a rare genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type 2. Curious schoolteachers and friends could only observe, as the former ballet dancer, figure skater, karate fighter and Soprano in the school choir suffered sudden health deteriorations that robbed her bodily capabilities.

In her thirteenth year when the first symptoms arise, Yvonne became deaf in the right ear, and soon had difficulty balancing. The unexpected turn of events were strange and unbelievable. In the next three years, Yvonne suffered in silence, swallowing the ill-fate in a gulp and roughed through tough times alone, when no one paid serious attention to her pleas for medical attention.

The fear of mishearing words had caused Yvonne years of suppression. Few times a day, her weak legs gave in suddenly without warning, spraining her ankles and bruising her knees. Yet the bloody wounds were always left to heal without medication, because the adults had other things to concern about.

When Yvonnes parents finally brought her to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital in 2002, she could barely walk at all and had to be placed in a wheelchair. MRI scans revealed a large brain tumour that affected her hearing, and several more along her spine that caused the limb weakness. That was only the beginning, as Yvonne rough through major brain and spine surgeries, painful rehabilitations, and putting up with the apathy among some medical professionals in Malaysia.

To date, Yvonne has undergone 1 spine and 3 brain surgeries. The first two were done at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where she suffered the consequences of reckless and ill-informed doctors. Besides that, the lack of experience among local doctors proved unhelpful in treating tumours caused by Neurofibromatosis Type 2.

As such, Yvonne is determined to seek medical treatment abroad. Her life took another twist upon meeting a kind Neurotologist named Dr. Rick A. Friedman, who did her third surgery for free. The opportunity broadened Yvonnes perspective towards the world of medicine, and her life became hopeful once again.

The fourth surgery, which was to remove another brain tumour that robbed her residual hearing in 2005, was successfully done by Dr. Friedman in Los Angeles. For this surgery, Yvonne together with her friends and kind members of the public raised the cost by selling t-shirts and accessories, and by organising various fundraising events. The first 10 months of selling, giving speeches, appearing in newspapers and magazines, and dealing with stress was not easy, but for a better quality of life, the effort was definitely worthwhile.

The fundraiser, HEART4HOPE, is still ongoing today. Despite having went through four surgeries, many tumours are growing in Yvonnes brain, spine, and along peripheral nerves. To monitor her health, Yvonne requires periodic MRIs, expensive doctor consultations, eye examinations, X-Rays, and many more.

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Yvonne Foong is the author of “I’m Not Sick, Just A Bit Unwell“, a slim book geared at raising awareness for Neurofibromatosis. She is the 2005 Dream Malaysia awards winner as The Most Outstanding Youth Of The Year, and has appeared on TV, newspapers, and magazines. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Segi College.
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