Tiny Hands, Brave Heart: The Emotional Journey of Baby Zhi En and the Fight to Keep Her Alive..
The first time I held my daughter Zhi En, she was impossibly small — barely more than a bundle of skin, bone, and hope. Her tiny chest rose and fell beneath a web of tubes, wires, and machines fighting to keep her alive. I had imagined holding her for the first time in a quiet delivery room, wrapped in blankets, warm against my chest. Instead, my first touch came in an ICU, where the steady hum of ventilators drowned out the lullabies I had long dreamed of singing.
Nothing prepares a parent for that kind of moment — when love and fear collide so sharply that your heart breaks and expands all at once.
A Premature Start to a Battle No Child Should Face
On June 4th, 2025, at just 34 weeks, Zhi En arrived unexpectedly, weighing only 1.12 kilograms — so light she barely filled my arms. Doctors rushed her away before I could even whisper hello. Within hours, we learned the truth that changed everything:
She had Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) — a rare, life-threatening heart defect where the major arteries are reversed. Without immediate intervention, she would not survive.
Her first day of life became a race against time.
Her first breath became a fight.
Her first night became a prayer.
She underwent a palliative surgery almost immediately, a temporary measure just to keep her alive long enough for something more permanent.
But what followed would test every part of her tiny body — and every part of our hearts.
Fourteen Hours of Surgery, Countless Prayers
When doctors finally told us she was stable enough for corrective surgery, they warned us it would be long, complicated, and dangerous. We nodded, numb and terrified. What choice did we have? This was her only chance.
The surgery lasted 14 hours — fourteen hours of pacing, shaking hands, unanswered questions, and whispered prayers. No parent should ever experience the crushing fear of waiting while doctors try to repair a heart that’s barely the size of a walnut.
Then came the news no one wants to hear: her heart struggled after surgery. She needed ECMO, a life-support machine that essentially acted as her heartbeat and lungs while her own body tried to heal.
The NICU became our world — bright lights, constant alarms, and the quiet heroism of nurses who treated our baby as if she were their own. Every day felt like balancing on a tightrope between hope and heartbreak.
For weeks, we lived in that space.
Then, slowly… miraculously… her heart began to steady.
Her breathing strengthened.
Her fingers curled around mine with intention instead of reflex.
And after
98 days, we finally took her home.
But our relief was brief.
The Fight Didn’t End — It Only Changed
At four months old, Zhi En weighs only
3.1kg — less than many newborns. Her body is still fragile, her heart still healing, her lungs still weak. She needs specialized medical care, ongoing treatments, frequent hospital visits, and round-the-clock monitoring.
The bills have become overwhelming.
SGD 128,000 — and climbing.
We never imagined needing to choose between emotional survival and financial survival. But here we are, forced to fight for both.
That is why we have begun raising SGD 64,000 — the bare minimum needed to cover her immediate care, medications, therapies, and critical follow-ups. Every dollar helps keep her heart beating. Every contribution is a lifeline.
A Story of Courage, Love, and the Will to Survive
Zhi En’s life so far has been measured in minutes, grams, and heartbeats. She has faced more battles in four months than many adults face in a lifetime.
But she has also shown more courage than we knew a child could hold.
More strength than her tiny body should contain.
More light than any hospital room could dim.
She is our miracle in motion — a reminder that even the smallest heart can fight the hardest battles.
We share her story not just to ask for help, but to honor her.
To honor the doctors and nurses who fought beside her.
To honor the community that has lifted us up.
And to remind the world that behind every medical statistic is a child — a family — a story still unfolding.
How You Can Help Save Zhi En’s Life
We are humbly reaching out for support:
💛 Financial assistance toward her ongoing treatment
💛 Sharing her story to reach more compassionate hearts
💛 Prayers and encouragement for her continued healing
Every act of kindness brings us one step closer to giving her the future she deserves — a future outside hospitals, a future with birthdays, laughter, and sunlight instead of syringes and machines.
Zhi En is fighting with everything she has.
We are fighting with everything we have.
And with your help, she can keep going.
Her heart is tiny — but her will to live is enormous.
Thank you for seeing her.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for helping keep her life moving forward.