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A 25-year-old Malaysian man working in Singapore suddenly fell very ill and has been in and out of the intensive care unit since his hospital admission on Apr. 1.

Worked as a food stall assistant

To help the 25-year-old out, his sister Yenis Chai set up a fundraiser for her brother.

She explained that her brother, Kar Jun, came to Singapore about 1.5 years ago, and had been working as a food stall assistant to financially support the family.

According to her, their mother is unemployed and their father is an odd-job construction worker at retirement age.

She wrote that they are from an "average family" who live in a small village in Perak, Malaysia.

In an interview with 8world News, the man's oldest sister shared that Kar Jun is the youngest of five in the family, and has always been a sensible and obedient child.

Based on a physical examination conducted before he started working in Singapore, he had no other health conditions aside from high blood pressure.

She said: "Everything seemed okay and he was trying his best to save as much as possible, so that he can provide for our family back home."

Turned delirious and unable to speak

Sometime in mid-March, her brother started experiencing fever and back pain.

"I heard from his housemate that he was not feeling well, so I asked my relatives in Singapore to check in on him. They said he was in a very bad condition and had to be sent to the hospital immediately. At that time, he was delirious and unable to speak. The doctor could only prescribe medicine for him to sleep and relieve his pain."

He was admitted into Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Apr. 1 in critical condition.

While in the intensive care unit, his heart suddenly stopped and the doctors had to resuscitate him.

Severe bacterial infection

He was diagnosed with severe melioidosis, a bacterial infection acquired through direct contact with contaminated soil and surface waters.

According to the Singapore General Hospital, while there are some risk factors for the illness, the sudden onset of melioidosis can occasionally occur in some healthy individuals.

For severe infections, mortality rates can be as high as 40 per cent in some cases.

Due to a family history of diabetes, the infection also caused him to suffer from diabetes ketoacidosis, a serious and possibly life threatening complication of diabetes.

In the fundraiser, Chai's sister wrote that his kidneys are not functioning well.

He had to undergo dialysis every two days and was on strong antibiotics that had to be administered for several weeks, on top of other medication.

His lungs have also been affected by the illness.

While he has a medical insurance coverage of up to S$15,000, the medical bills reached S$40,000 by Apr. 13.

His sister said the family turned to fundraising as they are unable to afford the treatment.

Raised S$30,000

His condition improved during his hospital stay and he was transferred to Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Bahru.

He was able to eat, get up, and talk to his family.

Then, in the early hours of Apr. 15, his family received a call from the hospital.

He was suddenly wheezing and breathless, and suffered a cardiac arrest which caused his heart to stop for two minutes before he was resuscitated.

His sister told 8world News: "His condition is worse than before. My parents are heartbroken and my father begged the doctor to save his life."

"These few days, my mind has been blank. I just hope my brother gets better soon."

The fundraiser was backed by 462 donors and has reached its goal of S$30,000.

Top images via Give.Asia and 8world.