(Image source from: bangkokpost.com)

When Catherine Kosasih was taken out of her apartment in Hong Kong by medics in protective gear, she didn’t know when she would get to see her children again. She has two kids, one four month and one 21 months old.

Upon conducting the test for Covid-19, Catherine Kosasih was tested positive for the virus and she was kept in isolation while her husband and children were suggested to self-quarantine themselves in their home.

The worst hit the family when they came to realise that their youngest one is allergic to formula milk. But, with humanity still alive, the family found cool bags containing frozen breast milk donated right in the boot of their car.

"I left the house suddenly and I didn't know how long I would be in the hospital. I had so many worries but one of the biggest ones was for the baby, who is breastfed, especially after she had such a bad reaction to formula that my husband was close to calling an ambulance," Kosasih said.

When Kosasih was told by her doctor to dump the breast milk as the medication for treating Covid-19 could be passed on to the baby, she contacted the founder of Hong Kong breastfeeding, Gemma MacFarlane and issued a SOS. Gemma then went on to request for donations at the earliest.

Following MacFarlane’s callout for the milk, David Barnaby was assigned as the partner who zoomed around the city to courier the necessary parcel to the person who needed it. He first went from family to family to connect the breast milk following which he donated the same to the family who needed it.

Once the news was live, scores of mothers from the surrounding areas came together to help families in need and within a day, over 15 litres of frozen breast milk was collected. The same was enough to keep Kosasih’s baby fed for the coming two weeks.

"I was in tears, I still can't believe so many mums pumped milk for my baby," Kosasih said. She battled with the virus for two long weeks following which she started recovering.

Researchers have not found the presence of the novel coronavirus in the breast milk. Even the World Health Organisation has clarified that mothers who want to breastfeed their babies can do so without any issues.

For majority of the parents, their one biggest fear is to watch their kids contract the virus just because of coming in contact with someone who had tested positive for it.

This specific initiative started by the Hong Kong Breastfeeding foundation helps a covid-19 positive mother feed her child when she physically couldn’t do the same. The way all the mothers came together to ensure faster arrangement of the frozen breast milk for the four month old is nothing short of amazing.

By Somapika Dutta