GEORGE TOWN: It was the hardest decision Choo Chuan Jin and his wife Ong Choi Ni had to make – to have their 10-year-old son’s right leg amputated.

The 46-year-old sales executive said his youngest son Kye Hern has neurofibromatosis type 1, a rare genetic disorder.

“It caused his leg to bend when he was a baby. We saw specialists in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore,” he said at Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon’s office in Komtar yesterday.

Choo said his son had surgery in Kuala Lumpur in 2014 to straighten the leg but after a year, it bent again.

Four months ago, they had to make the decision to amputate it.

Kye Hern is getting a prosthetic limb.

Lions Club of Penang Light, which organised the press conference, is assisting the family which hails from Kulim, Kedah.

The club’s Lions Prosthetic Limbs Project chairman Leslie Hong said they would be fostering Kye Hern for two years.

“Our partner-in-service will proceed with customising the prosthetic leg for him while we raise funds.

“It may take about three weeks for the prosthetic to be ready and it is estimated to cost about RM15,000, including maintenance for two years,” Hong said.

He appealed to the public to donate generously to ensure the continuous success of the prosthetic limbs project.

Mohd Rashid presented a RM500 cheque to Kye Hern to help him with his medical expenses.

For details on making a donation, contact the club at 04-228 1091.-thestar