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Most people today would argue that technology is slowly stripping away any semblance of human interaction.

Instead of conversing at dinner, our thumbs fiddle aimlessly on electronic devices as we try to find others out there as bored as we are. We send our parents instant messages instead of calling them on their birthdays. We e-mail co-workers in order to avoid face-to-face conversations. But other times, when we least expect it, our handheld devices seem to unite us in ways we never thought imaginable.

What began as a simple BlackBerry message blasted between friends two weeks ago has spread like wildfire across the city, uniting Jakartans once again for a good cause.

When Meisya Putri Utami, or Memey, was born in May 2009, her parents knew right away something was wrong. As Istiqomah, 25, and her husband, Do’l Kurniawan, took turns holding their baby girl in their arms they both noticed flu-like symptoms. She would be warm one minute and ice cold the next, her lips would turn a shade of blue and at times she would shiver uncontrollably.

“She’s had complications ever since she was born,” said Do’l, who makes Rp 40,000 ($4.50) a day selling sate in Pandansari, Puncak, just outside Bogor. “She wasn’t like a normal baby. Her temperature would go up and down and she would shiver and her teeth would chatter.”

So like any good father, Do’l, 32, rushed his daughter to the closest hospital, the city-run RSUD Ciawi. Once inside the doctor told Do’l and his wife that their daughter had a heart condition, but that because the hospital did not have the proper equipment or personnel to properly diagnose Memey — including a CT scan and a cardiologist or neurologist — there wasn’t much he could do.

The doctor at Ciawi recommended Memey stay in the hospital for five days to rest and begin therapy to help her recover from the reoccurring flu-like symptoms.

Do’l and his wife, who spend a large part of his income just to eat and pay their Rp 255,000-a-month rent, had to take Memey home after three days. They simply couldn’t afford to stay in the hospital and incur the daily fees.

The young parents eventually took Memey to the local dukun [traditional healer] in search of a cheaper alternative and gave her a steady diet of paracetamol (over-the-counter fever reducer and flu medicine). Slowly the symptoms subsided and Memey started acting like a normal little girl.

“When she’s not sick, she plays just like other kids,” Do’l says about his only daughter. “She’s very active and happy. But when she’s sick she’s always tired and she scratches at her head.”

Three months ago the fever returned—with vigor. And then Memey began to faint. She hasn’t left the hospital since.

“She just got weaker and weaker,” said Do’l, explaining that his only daughter is scratching at her head because doctors now tell him that complications have spread to Memey’s brain. “The government is paying for her to stay in the hospital, but the doctors just don’t have the facilities to treat her.”

Memey needs to be taken to a hospital here in Jakarta. But in order to get her here, the family needs a way to get her from Ciawi to Jakarta. That’s where Farida Ariyanti and Irene Murphy come in. Two weeks ago Farida received a BlackBerry message from a friend who is neighbors with Do’l and his wife.

“I have three kids of my own and as a mother, when I saw the photo of Memey I just needed to do something to help,” said Farida, who along with Irene has raised more than Rp 25 million ($2,500) for Memey in two weeks.

“Call it maternal instinct. The more I found out about the whole situation, the more I knew I had to do something,” she said. “In the beginning my friends and I just sent money, but we knew that this wasn’t enough to help and that’s why I contacted Irene.”

Irene jumped at the chance to make a difference.

“Having kids myself I know how special they are,” said Irene, a mother of four who has been calling hospitals here in Jakarta in search of a doctor who will see Memey. “Hopefully in my small way I can make a difference in the life of Memey and her family.”

Farida and Irene’s dedication will culminate in a charity night dedicated to Memey this Tuesday at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Kemang.

Jakartans looking to help Memey get the medical treatment she desperately needs are invited to pack Murphy’s on Tuesday. Charity-night tickets will be sold at the door, and items donated by individuals and sponsors — plane tickets to Lombok, Champagne, golf lessons and restaurant vouchers — will be raffled and auctioned off to benefit the family.

“My heart is touched, I still can’t believe this is happening,” Do’l said. “It feels like I’m dreaming. I hope one day I can do something to repay Irene and Farida for what they’ve done for me and my family.”

Memey’s Story Charity Night
Murphy’s Irish Pub
Kemang Raya No.11Kemang, South Jakarta
Tel. 0217183382
info@murphysjakarta.com