[Top: Ms Natalia Tjaha in the lobby of Mount Elizabeth Hospital with her book (inset), The Beautiful Journey: True Story of My Maria Monique.]

By Elaine Yeo

SHE resigned from her job to set up a foundation to honour her daughter.

The Maria Monique Lastwish Foundation, set up in Indonesia, fulfils the last wishes of terminally ill children.

It is something Ms Natalia Tjahja, Maria's mother, feels strongly about.

The story of 7-year-old Maria Monique, who flew in from Jakarta for treatment of bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the heart's valves and inner lining, made headlines here.

She was known as the 'miracle child' for surviving three cardiac arrests, the last one lasting for an hour. In the end she succumbed, on 27 Mar 2006.

On Friday, Ms Tjahja's book, The Beautiful Journey: True Story Of My Maria Monique, was launched in the lobby of Mount Elizabeth Hospital - where the touching story had begun.

Ms Tjahja told The New Paper on Sunday that she was grateful to the hospital for its hard work, and to all the kind-hearted Singaporeans who had collected donations for Maria's treatment.

She said: 'Complete strangers prayed for us and helped us through the whole thing. It was amazing.'

Hope

But Ms Tjahja has herself given hope to strangers. She gave up being a businesswoman to set up the foundation in Indonesia after Maria died.

Last wishes are given to the children, aged 5 to 15, in the form of toys, books, costumes and PlayStations.

Children from Vietnam, India and South Africa have also benefited from the organisation's charity missions.

Ms Tjahja wrote her new book specifically for these children.

She said: 'Many of the children asked me who Maria Monique was, and why the organisation was named after her. So I wrote the book for them, that's all.'

She added that she was not interested in money for her cause, but simply in the act of helping children.

'I usually call friends and try to pool together resources on my own. The choice to raise funds for the organisation is entirely voluntary for the kind souls who contribute,' she said.

'For example, my book wouldn't have been launched without support from Parkway Group Healthcare, Singapore Marriott Hotel, and Garuda Indonesia.

'They are like angels sent by God.'

Large companies were not the only ones who were inspired by Ms Tjahja and Maria.

They also touched the hearts of SMUKI, the Indonesian committee at the Singapore Management University.

Musical

SMUKI has decided to stage a musical about Maria on 27 and 28 Feb next year.

Student Yong Cheun Siang, 19, who is executive assistant director of the committee, said: 'It's a touching story, and MsTjahja is an inspiring woman. So we wanted to spread the word about Maria Monique to more people.'

The story inspired popular Indonesian singer Titiek Puspa to fly into Singapore to audition students for the play.

Mr Khairuddin Hori, arts manager in SMU's office of student life, revealed that the actress will attend some rehearsals as well.

SMUKI hopes to raise funds from ticket sales for Lastwish's latest 'Wheels to Heal' charity, which will contribute 1,000 wheelchairs to disabled children.

Lastwish now seems set to bring more smiles to children's faces.

Ms Tjahja said: 'It was my dear Maria who whispered in my heart to look after these children after she died, so I will do my best to fulfil her wish.

'Even now, she's still in my heart and watching over us.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 21, 2008.