UAE worker who lost leg to infection 'back on his feet'

Abu Dhabi - Ali, whose wife and three children live in Bangladesh, recalled the moment he was told about the need for amputation.

A grocery employee who had to get one of his legs amputated is back on his feet, thanks to social workers. Hashan Ali had suffered from a bacterial infection and after he lost his leg, social workers at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi organised funds to get him a prosthetic one.
Ali, whose wife and three children live in Bangladesh, recalled the moment he was told about the need for amputation. "My immediate thought was of my family, who rely on my salary."
The worker was first admitted to a hospital in Al Ain with a bacterial infection in his heart valve. During his stay, a bacteria-mixed blood clot traveled from his heart to leg, blocking the flow of blood to his leg and causing a flesh-eating infection in his muscles called necrotizing myositis.
He was then transferred to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as an emergency case, where surgeons replaced the infected heart valve, removed the clot from his leg and worked to remove the affected tissue.
Despite multiple treatments to clear the infection and prevent more tissue from dying, it continued to spread. The doctors determined that an amputation was the only way to save his life.
Following the surgery, social workers reached out to his employer, embassy and local charities to find a sponsor for a prosthetic limb so that he could return to work. Representatives from the Zakat Initiative assessed his case and agreed to cover the cost of the prosthetic leg. He was able to return to work even as he began the lengthy process of physiotherapy and being fitted for a permanent prosthetic.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com 

• Abu Dhabi