[UPDATE May 25: Adding statement from Ministry of Social and Family Development]

[UPDATE May 24: Adding statement from National University Hospital spokesperson]

Former Woodlands Wellington Football Club player Nur Alam Shah died on Friday, May 18, following a reported heart attack.

The 38-year-old was best known for his contributions to the Singapore football scene. After his career with the S.League, the late Alam Shah founded the Combine Schools Football Club in 2017, a non-profit youth football club focused on building teams to compete in tournaments for under-14, under-16 and under-17-year-old player tournaments in Singapore and overseas. He was its head coach, too:

Toddler son has rare heart condition

Among the young family the young man has left behind is his son, five-year-old Mohammad Royyan, who suffers from a life-threatening heart condition.

According to information Alam Shah shared in a fundraising page for his son's treatment, Royyan was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) — a rare heart defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart — in December 2013.

In order to prolong his life, Alam Shah wrote at the time, he will require multiple surgeries.

Royyan's first surgery took place when he was only 25 days old, and a second surgery was performed in July 2017.

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Costly medical fees

Royyan's medical condition, given its costly and long-term nature, has sapped the family financially.

To make matters worse for his wife now, Alam Shah was the sole breadwinner of his family.

Over the years, Alam Shah's family downgraded their home from a four-room to a two-room flat in order to cover the medical bills. To supplement his income, his wife also sells football jerseys online.

This month, the family is also selling the jerseys at stall number 47 at the Ramadan Bazaar, behind Tanjong Katong complex.

Now, Royyan has an upcoming third surgery for mitral and aortic valve replacement.

It is unclear when exactly this surgery will take place. However, according to Alam Shah, it will cost the family approximately S$120,000 in cash even after subsidies.

To fund Royyan's third surgery, Alam Shah turned to GIVE.asia for donations sometime last year.

On the GIVE.asia page, he revealed that he had another daughter who suffered from the same condition as Royyan, and she was only five months old when she passed away in April 2008.

"I don't want this to happen to Mohammad Royyan," he wrote.

The family has only managed to raise just under S$30,000 as of May 20, 2018. They still need another S$90,000-plus to fully fund the subsequent surgery.

On May 19, the Give.ASIA page was updated by Alam Shah's brother, who announced his brother's passing:

Condolences have also poured in on social media, with many penning words of condolences and encouragement for the family.

Mothership.sg has reached out to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social and Family Development to find out if any assistance is being given to the family. We will update the story accordingly when we hear back from them.

[UPDATE May 24: Inserting statement from NUH spokesperson]

"The patient, Muhammad Royyan was transferred to the National University Hospital (NUH) in 2014, and has since undergone two procedures.  Our team of Medical Social Workers (MSW) has been providing support to the family.  Given the financial status of the family, the patient has been on full Medifund assistance for the last four years. Based on our records, there has been no out-of-pocket hospital expenses required for his medical treatments at NUH.

The patient is being followed-up on an outpatient basis, with regular monitoring of his condition. The patient will require surgery in the future. The timing of the surgery will be dependent on his clinical condition.

Given the subsidised status of the patient, we had estimated the bill size of the upcoming surgery to be in the range of $20,000.  This would have been covered by Medisave, Medishield Life, and any outstanding amount would be assessed for eligibility for Medifund assistance based on the family’s prevailing financial circumstances.

Throughout the patient’s care under NUH, our MSW has been in constant contact with the family. We will continue to provide support to the family during this difficult time."

[UPDATE May 25: Adding statement from Ministry of Social and Family Development]

The late Mr Nur Alam Shah and his family were known to MSF since 2012. From November 2012 to October 2013, MSF had provided the family with financial assistance under ComCare. Mr Nur Alam Shah did not return to reapply for assistance after 2013.

The Social Service Office (SSO) reached out to the family recently. However, the family declined the offer of assistance as they were able to manage with help received from family and donations. Our SSO colleagues have assured Mr Nur Alam Shah’s wife, Mdm Azean, that she can contact the SSO if she needs assistance.

If you would like to donate to defray the cost of Royyan's surgery, you can find the page here.

Top photos via Give.asia fundraising page.