The young pacer, who was hit by Rinku for five sixes in one over last year, held his nerve to defend 17 runs in the final over against Chennai on Sunday
At 26 months, he is fighting a complex congenital heart disease. Diagnosed with multiple heart problems, Ahad currently suffers from ‘double-inlet left ventricle’ with ‘transposition of the great arteries’.
The birth defect causes the child’s left and right atria to connect to the same ventricle, causing oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood to combine. That’s not all. He even has Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), better known as a ‘hole in the heart’.
Doctors say that his only chance of survival depends on a heart transplant procedure. While there are no such facilities in the UAE, the Al-Ain based Pakistani family is looking for help to seek medical attention abroad.
“He cannot even walk or stand on his own for a minute. Most of the time, he is short of breath and starts sweating. He barely communicates,” according to his father KA.
His complex medical condition has lead to congestive heart failure, which is the inability of the heart to pump and distribute enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Fed through a nasal tube, the child weighs under 10kg.
“We have asked opinions from multiple hospitals in the UAE and all have agreed to the need for a heart transplant. Since the treatment is not available in the UAE, our only option is to take him to a specialised centre outside the country,” says the father.
An insurance provider covers most of the child’s medical expenses. However, the family will have to secure its own finances if they choose to go abroad for treatment. Financial help and community support is much needed if baby Ahad has to survive.
Ahad has already undergone two surgeries including a corrective surgery 19 days after birth. “The child has been in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) many times and he needs emergency medical care because of the complicated medical condition,” says KA. The family was first informed about the child’s medical condition during a regular ultrasound check up in the sixth month of pregnancy. Since then, there has been no looking back for the family.
The little baby’s life hangs by a thread, as timely medical attention seems to slip further with each passing day. For more information on how to help the family, send an e-mail to editor@khaleejtimes.com.
muaz@khaleejtimes.com
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