Hope for TAVI Patient to Treasure Priceless Moments with Great-grandchildren

by KAYLENE LIM

Many would not hesitate to put their lives ahead of their life savings if caught in a predicament. However, 80-year-old Mdm Lim Guat Lan held back before proceeding with a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) operation that could extend her life by 10 years.

Mdm Lim was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a type of heart valve disease, after being admitted to the A&E following a fall at home. The lifesaving TAVI operation would repair her heart valve without removing the old and damaged valve.

The self-sufficient widow who lives alone, relies on small disbursements and savings to cover her bills and daily expenses. Medical bills for medicine to manage her diabetes, high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure are additionally subsidised by the government. Foreseeing that the cost of the TAVI operation would be hefty, Mdm Lim was concerned about paying for the operation’s cost.

Her daughter Mdm Tan Bee Bee said, “The bill hadn’t come out, but she cried in the hospital.” Her daughter was also uncertain if she could bear the cost of her mother’s operation as she draws a minimal income as a part-time worker at a fast food chain.

It was the promise of being able to see her great-grandchildren in the future that convinced Mdm Lim to undergo the operation. She was further reassured by hospital staff that her operation could be subsidised.

After the surgery, Mdm Lim’s medical social worker sought help from the Singapore Heart Foundation’s Heart Support Fund to subsidise the $33,149 procedure and the mother-daughter pair’s worries were quietened.

“I felt so happy, so lucky, that an organisation helped her. Thank you so much.” said Mdm Lim’s daughter.

Today, Mdm Lim continues her independent lifestyle, and is able to resume her favourite hobbies – cooking and baking. She also keeps a watchful eye on her blood pressure and blood sugar levels and goes for regular checkups.

The Heart Support Fund provides financial assistance to needy heart patients like Mdm Lim in a variety of areas, from sponsorship of medical devices to simpler needs such as subsidies for transportation to hospitals for checkups.