Dubai: Mohammad Hamza will be three on May 5. Ask his parents what he wants for his birthday and they will tell you how desperately he needs the gift of life at his tender age.
Kidney function
Suffering from a life-threatening disease called atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS), Hamza’s kidney function is at serious risk if he can’t continue with his treatment. The condition, which causes abnormal clots to form in small blood vessels in the kidneys, can result in severe complications that can even prove fatal if they restrict or block the blood flow.
But as Hamza’s father Mohammad Azeem explains, it’s not just the complex nature of the disease that they have to battle. The huge cost of treatment is equally daunting, as they must come up with Dh30,000 every few weeks for his critical medication.
“He was diagnosed with aHUS by a public hospital in Dubai in October 2016. Ever since, he has needed a lifesaving medicine which costs Dh27,980 per dose and an additional Dh2,000 for the lab tests and hospital care. If he doesn’t take the medicine, he has to go on dialysis because he can lose his kidneys and develop other devastating complications,” said Azeem.
An IT executive, Azeem said he has been running from pillar to post to get help for Hamza. In January 2017, Hamza was chosen as one of three ailing beneficiaries after a group of UAE residents who called themselves Jingles raised over Dh426,000 through cheer and carol singing. XPRESS had reported on the initiative when the Jingles along with the beneficiaries and their families had gathered at the office of Emirates Red Crescent Dubai to mark the occasion.
Azeem said, “Thanks to the Jingles and Emirates Red Crescent UAE, we received a sum of Dh150,000 for Hamza’s treatment. It lasted us till May 2017.”
Subsequently, he said he knocked on the doors of a hospital in Abu Dhabi, hoping to get lifetime support for Hamza. “But we were not eligible as we were not residents of the capital.” He said given their financial circumstances, Hamza’s treatment had to be stopped in September 2017.
“The insurance cover was insufficient, so we could only afford a follow-up at a hospital outpatient clinic in Dubai. Unfortunately, on February 25 this year, Hamza had a relapse and had to be rushed to the Emergency, where he was given two doses of medicine,” he said, adding that he had to cough up Dh56,000 in cash.
“We have no idea how we will fund Hamza’s treatment. It is beyond our means and all we can do is pray to the Almighty. We just read about a mystery donor who gave Dh500,000 for a child’s treatment. We are hoping Hamza too will be saved by a miracle.”
If you wish to help Hamza, write to editor@xpress4me.com
