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Let help to spread the news and help the family in one way or another. source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/parents-race-against-time-to-raise-3m-to-save-baby-with-rare-genetic-disorder A few weeks after their first child was born, Mr Nabeel Salim Abdat and Ms Syahirah Yakub found that little Zayn's appetite was getting worse. On Aug 4, Mr Nabeel took their baby to the National University Hospital (NUH), where Zayn fell seriously ill. "While I was looking at some admission forms, I heard him cry," said Mr Nabeel, 30, who is due to start work as a data centre engineer in October. "About 30 seconds later, he was unconscious and he wasn't breathing." Hospital staff managed to revive Zayn, who was later warded in NUH's intensive care unit. His parents soon learnt that Zayn has a rare genetic disorder, and his best hope for survival may lie with a treatment that costs about $3 million, which they are now trying to raise. On Aug 12, the boy, who is now seven weeks old, was found to have Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disorder that causes muscles to weaken. It can lead to declining motor functions and such issues as respiratory problems, scoliosis and osteoporosis, said an NUH spokesman. If left untreated, the condition can lead to death by the age of two. In response to queries, NUH said Zayn is currently receiving "multidisciplinary supportive care". Ms Syahirah, a 31-year-old civil servant, said a paediatrician had also noticed that Zayn had poor reflexes and referred them to a specialist. The couple said they were told Zayn's best hope is Zolgensma, a one-time gene therapy that is infused into a baby's veins to help stop the progression of SMA. Zolgensma, approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration in 2019, is not authorised by Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, but it can be imported under the Special Access Route. Costing almost $2.9 million, the treatment is often touted as the most expensive drug in the world. "We thought, 'how are we supposed to get that amount of money?'" said Ms Syahirah. Last Friday, in a desperate attempt to achieve the "impossible", the couple started a crowdfunding campaign, Walk With Zayn, which has since raised more than $540,000 on charity platform Ray of Hope. Ms Syahirah added that she has also appealed to the authorities to see if Zayn is eligible for the Rare Disease Fund, which provides long-term financial support to those who require high-cost medication for such conditions. The Straits Times reported in January that a two-year-old boy with Type 2 SMA, a less severe form of the condition, was able to stand and walk with support after the public donated $2.87 million for his Zolgensma treatment. Doctors have begun treating Zayn with Risdiplam, an oral medication taken daily. A bottle of Risdiplam, which lasts 64 days, costs more than $15,000. SMA patients on Risdiplam or Spinraza, another drug that is injected into the spinal canal every four months, will have to be on them for life, NUH said. The couple are hoping they can raise the money needed for Zolgensma, with Ms Syahirah noting that their son will still need therapy even after getting the drug. Mr Nabeel said they are working on a deadline, as Zolgensma must be administered before the child turns two. "We are racing against time and we are hoping that we can give him the medicine as soon as possible."

Real estate crowdfunding - will singaporeans bite? The next big thing in real estate investment Flip through any newspaper over the weekend and you will see a buffet of investment options in the real estate market. Typically, there are investment options from Melbourne, Sydney, London, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Bangkok, and the list goes on. By Tan Kok Keong - April 29 Flip through any newspaper over the weekend and you will see a buffet of investment options in the real estate market. Typically, there are investment options from Melbourne, Sydney, London, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Bangkok, and the list goes on. However, as many investors have found out, owning a property overseas can entail a lot of pain: The pain of finding a good absentee manager, the pain of sourcing tenants, the pain of paying the high cost of ownership, the pain to ensure compliance with taxation laws, and the pain in selling off the investment. Perhaps it is time for a rethink. Investors in Singapore might want to rethink their allocation of resources and look at real estate crowdfunding as a viable alternative. Real estate crowdfunding: Can it take off in Singapore? Crowdfunding is a way to collect small individual amounts from many people to fund opportunities or causes. In the United States, several real estate crowdfunding platforms such as Prodigy Network, Fundrise, Realty Mogul and RealtyShares have collectively raised millions for real estate projects. One of the most prominent, and perhaps the largest, crowdfunding project in the world was started in Bogota, Colombia, where Prodigy Network pulled together funds from more than 4,000 people, raising a total of US$190 million (S$255 million) to fund BD Bacata. BD Bacata will be the tallest skyscraper in Bogota and the second tallest in South America, with 67 floors destined to be used as a hotel, apartments and a shopping centre. Growth of similar platforms is observed in Australia, the United Kingdom and China, among others. Massolution, a leading research house on real estate crowdfunding, estimated that real estate crowdfunding value will increase by 150 per cent to US$2.57 billion in 2015, making it one of the fastest-growing industry segments of crowd capitalism. In our opinion, investing in real estate in Singapore will follow the same trend as in New York and other developed markets. Just look at how crowdfunding has already started to change the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) loan market in Singapore. What special deals can crowdfunding platforms offer? Studying the evolution of the crowdfunding market in the US, we evaluated the offerings of one of the earliest crowdfunding platforms, Prodigy Network. Prodigy Network lets investors into commercial real estate markets in New York City. Imagine owning part of a commercial building in New York’s renowned Wall Street or Park Avenue! Investing in real estate in major cities such as New York is attractive for two main reasons: It is a tangible asset and, considering that the demand for real estate in New York is far higher than the supply, the value of the properties has a high probability of appreciating over time. Now when it comes to what type of real estate to invest in, the choices normally come down to two: Residential versus commercial. From an investing perspective, commercial tends to be the most sought-after strategy, given that it has lower risk and that its cash-flow generating operation increases the value of the property through time. Historically, access to these kinds of investments was restricted to the very wealthy or financial institutions, given that most commercial real estate properties in Manhattan are valued in between US$100-US$250 million. But now, due to the JOBS Act, which is the regulation that permitted crowdfunding in the US, and due to the power of technology, which allows millions of individuals to be connected through their mobile devices, platforms such as Prodigy Network are pooling together investments starting at US$50,000 from around the world in order to fund these projects. In other words, real estate crowdfunding is democratising some of the most attractive and profitable opportunities in the real estate sector. We think that, over time, developers in Singapore will start to explore fundraising efforts in the same way they have evolved in the US. Technology enables, but do not forget real estate fundamentals Even the best technology will not salvage a bad deal. Investors should be aware that while technology enables, they should not lose sight of analysis of the risks involved and whether they are equipped to accept the risk. Understand legal structure of the investment Investors should always remember that in a bad market there could be good investments that are well structured, and in a good market there could be badly structured investments. In a typical crowdfunding structure, investors typically buy into shares of a special purpose company (SPC) or units in a trust. This SPC or trust will then invest in the property. Such investments could be in the form of shares of a development company, a secondary loan to developers or joint ownership of a completed property. Investors need to understand the liabilities and the rights to returns or dividends when investing in such structures. Assess the risk versus the rewards Investors need to start to assess the risk of each investment and whether the returns are sufficient to compensate them for the risk. Do not be taken in by “guaranteed returns” as 100 per cent fail-safe investments. Even governments can default on sovereign debt. Investors also need to start to recognise returns are either fixed or variable. In the case of fixed returns, they should ask where the fundraiser got the money to “guarantee” their returns and what the chances are of the fundraiser not being able to find money to pay those “guaranteed returns”. Share expertise and join the community The other important feature for crowdfunding platforms versus traditional investment models is that investors should be more willing to engage in discussions among themselves or with the fundraisers on the crowdfunding platform or social media. This concept of crowd-policing of investments might be the best way to ensure that dubious investment schemes and individuals are kept out of the investment market. Ask the right questions before investing Investors should look at crowdfunding platforms as an enabler of the process of collective investment. Responsible platforms are more likely to conduct due diligence on projects before these are allowed for fundraising. The new trend in real estate investment markets is rapidly changing and investors might want to start to understand more about investment structures, questions they need to ask and what is involved before getting into any deals. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tan Kok Keong is chief operating officer and co-founder of Fundplaces, a real estate crowdfunding platform. The_Next_big_thing_in_real_estate_investment.pdf