Genetic disorder robs teen of normal mental development

Compiled by C.ARUNO and BENJAMIN LEE

A TEENAGER from Kuala Terengganu has been left with the mental development of a toddler after suffering from a rare genetic neurological disorder for over five years, reported Harian Metro.

Ahmad Arfan Farhat, 14, now needs round-the-clock care after he was diagnosed with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).

His father Mohd Basir Mohd Nor, 42, said the disorder, which causes the deterioration of a fatty covering called myelin that insulates nerves in the brain and spinal cord, has left his son paralysed.The predicament has caused financial distress to the family, as Mohd Basir’s wife needs to stay home to care for their son.

“It is difficult to find a babysitter willing to care for him as he needs constant help to do even the simplest things like bathing.

“Currently, my wife is looking after him while I work at my sister-in-law’s restaurant,” he said.

The disorder, which reduces the nerve’s ability to relay information to the brain and causes a shortage of essential hormones, has left Ahmad Arfan needing up to seven diaper changes per day and expensive supplements.

Mohd Basir said the family is struggling to make ends meet due to the high costs despite receiving a monthly assistance of RM500 from the Welfare Department.

> Residents of Kampung Gol in Pahang are living in fear of wild elephants that have invaded their village over 20 times in the past three years, reported Kosmo!.Kampung Gol Village Development and Security Committee chairman Abu Jamil Awang Mahmud said the most recent attack on Monday had once again left the village’s crops ravaged.

“The elephants are believed to have come from the Taman Negara forest. They come here every year in search of food.

“Residents fear that the elephants may damage their homes,” he said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

> Actress Nur Fazura Sharifuddin has denied rumours that her marriage has turned sour, reported Kosmo!.The rumours began after netizens noticed that Nur Fazura and her husband Fattah Amin had stopped liking and commenting on each other’s social media posts.

“We want to keep things private these days,” Nur Fazira, 41, clarified in response to a fan’s comment on one of her Instagram posts.

The couple wed in 2017 and have a four-year-old daughter.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.