A five-year-old Sudanese boy suffering from Fanconi Anemia experienced a pleasant Lunar New Year in central Taiwan last month thanks to the efforts of a Taiwanese woman and her Sudanese husband.
The boy, Elnour Eltayeb, who has eight brothers and sisters, was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia at the age of two.
GENETIC
One of Elnour's older brothers died of the same disease, which is genetic, several years ago.
Elnour's only chance for survival is to have a bone marrow transplant.
Tsai Yi-man (
MEDICAL ADVICE
After the couple returned to Taiwan, they contacted China Medical University Hospital in Taichung for medical advice and assistance.
The boy, his parents, an older brother, and a younger sister traveled to Taiwan late last year, staying for free in dormitory at the Taichung hospital.
While in Taichung, the health of Elnour's older brother, who is diagnosed with the same disease, unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and put him in critical condition.
DOUBLED BILLS
The brother received a bone marrow transplant over a month ago.
Medical bills have as a result doubled from NT$3 million to NT$6 million, but the family has only managed to raise half that sum.
Elnour's doctor, Wu Kang-hsi (
The hospital is monitoring his condition.
FAMILY SUPPORT
To cheer the family up, the hospital's deputy superintendent Peng Ching-tien (
Chen Li-ming (陳立明), who is the association's chairman, took the family to a restaurant to celebrate the Lunar New Year together.
At the dinner she gave Elnour a red envelope -- traditional during the holiday -- as a symbol for luck and a wish for good health from the people of Taiwan.
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