Dubai: 421, ‘Sesame Street’, at the Dubai Hospital complex doesn’t get many visitors. Entry to the private room is strictly monitored as is the case with any other room in the sterile Isolation Unit of the Paediatric Ward. But if you were to walk in with due protocol, you can be rest assured you will be greeted by an angelic face.
Bright, beady eyes pop out from the tiny visage as it breaks into a smile. “Essa,” says Gracy Kutty Thomas, the nurse in charge, as she addresses the inpatient. “You’re going to be in the papers.”
It doesn’t matter that Essa doesn’t comprehend what she says. The sheer warmth of her words is enough for him to smile again. An unknown child with physical and mental challenges, Essa was admitted to Dubai Hospital in 1988. He was just two months then. Today, 24 years on, he is still there - the paediatric ward his only home and its caring staff his only family.
“He is like my own son. I am very attached to him,” said Gracy, who joined the hospital in 1984. Echoing her sentiments are other nurses like Jessy Jose, who has been with Essa ever since he came in. “He does not talk or move but is very social.”
It’s an unusual bonding born out of unusual circumstances. Dr Hassan Ali Mundi, Consultant Pediatrician said: “The hospital received three other unknown children around the same time in 1988. While they were taken for adoption, Essa remained with us because of his challenges.”
He said Essa is a quadriplegic who can neither talk nor move. He suffers from brain atrophy, microcephaly, asthma and eczema, all of which are being treated free of charge by the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Hospital.
For 24 years now, the hospital staff have been meticulously catering to his daily needs. Every three hours, he requires a feed, a specially prepared high calorie, high protein liquid formula that is fed through a nasal pipe.
Besides his physio and occupational therapies, they make sure he has enough company. “We encourage people to visit him. We have school children and government employees visiting him from time to time,” said Laila Al Haddad, Head of the Social Care Unit.
She said Essa listens to the Quran in the mornings and has his share of cartoons and music too. “He loves Arabic music.” The nurses are so accustomed to having him around that they were afraid of losing him to the adult ward when he turned 18. But he weighs just 29 kilos and he remains with them.
The pangs of separation apart, they all want the best for him. “If for his own good, he needs to go out or be shifted elsewhere some day, we will surely understand,” said Laila, who added that she is in talks with a special needs centre to help rehabilitate him.
But one thing’s for sure: no matter where Essa is, Dubai Hospital will remain his true home and hearth.
