No place for mum to stay, but Charmaine's still going
By: Naveen Kanagalingam
FRIENDS, magicians and even a cartoon character turned up at Charmaine Lim's birthday party yesterday.
But it was also a farewell party.
The 4-year-old will be leaving for New York with her mother and brother on Thursday, for further treatment for her cancer.
For Charmaine's mother, 29-year-old Ms Cynthia Lim, the journey is a leap of faith.
The single mother, who is unemployed, has no idea where she will be staying as she has yet to confirm her accommodation.
She said: 'I'm hoping to stay at the Ronald Mcdonald House while Charmaine is undergoing treatment.
'I'm liaising with a social worker in New York but she hasn't confirmed that we have a place there yet.
'Worse comes to worst, I will have to bunk with a friend of a friend.'
Her friend, MsCharlene Wong Yea Huey, 27, will be accompanying her to New York and will be staying with her for two to three weeks.
Ms Wong said: 'A single mother alone in a foreign place with no friends and two kids to take care of, doesn't sound like a piece of cake to me.
'I'd have taken leave just so I could go with them if I had to, but luckily for me I'm in between jobs at the moment.'
The party was organised by Ms Lai Sheau Wen, 36, a legal counsellor for MTV Networks Asia.
She said: 'We put this together with the blessings of the company because Charmaine is a huge fan of Dora The Explorer on Nickelodeon.'
Nickelodeon goodie bags were given out to the kids who attended the party and a large mascot of Dora The Explorer appeared as well.
Charmaine broke into tears when she saw the life-sized version of her favourite cartoon character but she enjoyed herself when she calmed down.
She was treated to a magic show and was reunited with her pal Savyon Wong, 3, who attends the same playgroup that she used to go to, as well as her other friends.
It was the first time that Charmaine was out in public since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that attacks the adrenal glands of infants and children, in February.
Such cancer cells usually spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymphatic system.
Her plight has touched many, and the $500,000 that was needed for her to undergo treatment in New York was raised in just three weeks.
