‘I’M DOING ALL I CAN FOR MY SON BUT I CAN’T AFFORD HIS TREATMENT’
Jamila Xin supports disabled Abdullah by selling toys on the streets of Dubai
Three years ago, Jamila Xin left China for Dubai in search of a better life for her disabled son. After what she describes as a messy divorce, she struggled to pay her son’s medical fees in China.
“Living in China was very difficult for me and I was borrowing money from everyone to pay for my son’s treatment,” says Ms Xin, 31.
Her son, Abdullah Ao, had to have brain surgery at the age of 2 after doctors discovered a benign tumour. He developed complications after the operation.
“He lost his ability to speak, to move and to chew,” his mother says.
Abdullah, now 6, needs intensive treatment and rehabilitation, which his mother cannot afford. Ms Xin is unemployed and supports her son by selling toys on the streets of Dubai.
“I do what I can. I sell toys, cushions and teach English and Chinese,” she says.
She earns about Dh4,000 a month, which barely covers their rent and food.
“It is my duty as a mother to provide a safe home for my son and to treat him but I can only afford to feed him,” Ms Xin says.
She enrolled her son in a school for special needs children last year, which cost Dh44,000 annually.
His rehabilitation sessions, which she can no longer afford, cost Dh15,000 a month.
“Abdullah was very happy in school and was improving with the rehabilitation sessions that he used to get three times a week for three hours,” Ms Xin says.
She stopped his treatment last year and since then Abdullah’s health has deteriorated.
“He can’t support his head any more and cannot move or speak,” she says. “He was getting better with rehabilitation but now he’s worse. He isn’t gaining any weight and his muscles are wasting away.”
Doctors say Abdullah needs urgent surgery otherwise he may never walk. The operation costs Dh200,000.
“This was like a knife in my heart,” Ms Xin says. “I am doing everything I can for him but I still can’t raise enough money for his medical treatment.”
Insurance companies refuse to insure her son.
“I was told not tell them that he is sick but I couldn’t bring myself to lie,” she says.
“He is too expensive for them to insure and I understand that. His father abandoned us because he said Abdullah was too much of a burden.”
Hospital visits cost about Dh1,000 for Abdullah, who needs regular X-rays and check-ups.
“These hospital visits I pay for myself.” She also pays Dh2,000 in rent for a small studio in Dubai.
Ms Xin says that in spite of the difficulties, her son’s prospects are better in the UAE than in China. “Here at least I can afford to pay rent, buy food and get him seen by a doctor,” she says.
“In China, I couldn’t even get a doctor to see him. Dubai is the land of opportunity, which is why I left everything and came here, but my son’s situation is getting critical.
“The Chinese community is small and I know that many will see it as shameful that I am asking for assistance but I don’t care.
“I’m prepared to do anything to get my son the help that he needs. Abdullah is the only person in my life that matters to me.”
Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of zakat and social services at Dar Al Ber, says: “Ms Xin needs assistance to pay for her son’s surgery and to enrol him in a school for special needs.
“Unfortunately, these costs are very high for most people without insurance regardless of their situation. Without support from generous benefactors, it is hard for the most vulnerable people to receive medical help and specialist treatment.”