Mother seeks help to alleviate daughter’s painful condition
AS MEDICAL EXPENSES SHOOT UP THE FAMILY OF SIX STRUGGLES TO MAKE ENDS MEET
Ayoung mother of four is seeking help for surgery for her 12-year-old daughter, who suffers from a debilitating joint crippling congenital condition called arthogryposis that requires corrective surgery.
Arthogryposis is a congenital condition that causes painful joint contractures, making movement restrictive and painful. The condition can be managed with corrective surgeries.
Fathima Razick 33, a Sri Lankan expatriate working for customer relations in a reputed organisation told Gulf News she and her husband Mohammad Razick, 40, who is employed as a mechanic, had run huge debts in trying to improve the life of their daughter Daani. It is making it difficult for them to manage the sustenance of their other three children — Mohammad 10, Abdullah 8 and Ayaan 3
Razick took a loan for her daughter’s stem cell therapy, hoping it will help cure her daughter. Daani was born with multiple deformities — stiff fingers, oblique feet and abnormally big knees that keep her in pain and make it difficult for her to walk or perform her daily activities. “She is intelligent, cheerful and effervescent as other children of her age despite the fact that she had to undergo several corrective surgeries, mostly in India. Recently, we heard about a stem cell therapy that was supposed to work wonders, so I borrowed Dh45,000 for it. However I had to abandon it in the middle as I ran out of funds.
Dr Mark Sinclair and Dr Christian Savvidou from the Children’s Hospital in Dubai have advised further corrective surgery at the Iranian Hospital, Dubai, which might cost around Dh150,000 and the couple is at their wit’s end.
Dr Sinclair told Gulf News: “The cost of the surgeries to put implants in her legs, splints and the physiotherapy and a follow up surgery to remove the implants when Daani grows will approximately cost Dh150,000. These surgeries will help her through her childhood and adolescent years. It is likely she might require future surgeries when she is an adult. But for now these surgeries will help ■ the little girl.” Razick is very keen that her daughter undergoes the required surgeries but she needs funds for it. “I have run up personal debts and am tired of paying interest on the loans of around Dh55,000 that we had to take for her treatments. Now, although we both are earning, that money is barely enough to pay interest and manage our daily expenses. I am not sure what I am going to do,” she said.
A few months ago Daani, who is an intelligent child, had to be taken out of school as only one school — The Gems Modern High had accepted her. “The principal and teachers were very helpful but I cannot afford the steep fee. Daani completed grade three and was to go to grade 4. I tried many other schools with affordable fees and closer to our home in Al Ghusais but no other school was ready to give admission to my daughter. I had to discontinue her studies and I know this is not fair to her. I am making an appeal for help as a last option to help my little girl.” ■