Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur’s annual Christmas Charity Tree light-up ceremony is back after a two-year absence. With the hotel lobby decor magically transformed into enchanted wonders for all to admire. The hotel’s General Manager launched the ceremony, Gonzalo Duarte Silva, joined by recipients of the Embrace fund and Salehati from Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur, together with the underprivileged children from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah, and distinguished guests witnessed the tree light up ceremony accompanied by the soulful singing of the Singaholics Carollers belting out popular Christmas tunes.
With the chosen theme of the “Enchanted Christmas” for the Christmas Charity Tree. Five colour variations of the Nutcracker ornaments will occupy ten tiers of rotating conical steel structure on the 19.2-foot-tall Christmas Tree in the Lobby. These hand-crafted ornaments reflect the colours of happiness and strength, symbolizing the hope we bring to children with serious ailments and the chance to live a fulling life post-surgery.
Each ornament is artfully designed by the pastry team, led by Pastry Artist, Wayne Siow. The team of three pastry chefs spent three weeks perfecting the designs and dedicated an average of ten hours each day to ensure the ornaments were handmade to the highest standards. The colourful ornaments set come in five different designs and can be bought at RM1,100 each. The donor’s name or company logo will also be prominently displayed on the figurine.
Organisations and individuals are invited to sponsor any of the five figurines or select from five limited editions at minimum RM5,000. All proceeds will be collected for the children who are in urgent need of immediate surgery and medical care.
Initiated by Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur in 1985, “Embrace the Gift of Life”, has helped several seriously ill children suffering from severe heart ailments and other afflictions. To date, the hotel has raised more than RM 4 million through the charity and has changed many lives.
This year, “Embrace the Gift of Life” will be fund the six children below and more.
Five-year-old Catherine Teng Kai Xuan is diagnosed with Situs solitus, AV and VA discordance, AVSD, Mederates PS, left arch, single left SVC, TAPVD to RA. She needs to undergo third stage of palliative surgery, known as Fontan. The estimated cost for this surgery is RM110,000 and currently at home waiting for surgery.
Three-year Thevadarshan A/L Gopi is diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (Hole in the Heart), passage to his lungs his blocked. He requires an urgent surgery to close the hole in his heart and relieve the blockage from the passage to the lungs. He is currently at home and waiting for surgery. The estimated cost for this surgery is RM90,000.
Eight-month Eyliana Az Zahra Binti Abdul Rahman is diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (Hole in the Heart), needs VSD closure, and requires long-term care in the ICU ward and the estimated cost for this surgery will be RM80,000.
One-year-old Areeba Sadique is diagnosed with Large Patent Ductus Arteriosus, (Extra Blood Vessel) and needs to undergo PDA ligation to tie off the extra vessel. Patient is currently admitted in Serdang Hospital and waiting for surgery. The estimated cost for this surgery is RM40,0000.
Three months old Che Nur Ayesha Inara born with Transposition of Great Arteries, a condition in which the two major blood vessels arising from the heart have switched places. She will need to undergo an emergency procedure to create a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart to allow the blood to return from the lungs to reach the body’s circulation this is to stabilize her, prior to the Arterial Switch Operation at an estimated cost of RM80,000.
Nine years old Muhammad Azraqi Izzmie Bin Shahul is diagnosed with Severe Tricuspid regurgitation, a condition where blood flows backward through the tricuspid valve into the upper right heart chamber. Raised by a single mother of five children, he is required to undergo Tricuspid valve repair, an operation with an estimated cost of RM90,000.
Donations can be made via the forms available at the Front Office desk or online at Corporate Social Responsibility | Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur and the donor’s name or company logo will be displayed below each set of ornaments. Proceeds will be collected for the children who are in urgent need of immediate surgery and medical care.
