NEW YORK: A Pakistani mother, who is a resident of Bronx -- a borough of New York City -- selflessly risked her own life in order to give her dying son the opportunity to live happily and healthily.
According to the New York Daily News, Rabia Anjum, 26, donated segment of her liver to her 8-month-old son, Jahanzaib, after doctors revealed that his organ was failing from a rare congenital disease. "I didn’t have a choice,” said Rabia. “I had to be brave for my son.” Rabia and her husband, Zuhaib, were told of their son’s hereditary
disease, which causes rapid liver failure, after his birth. They also discovered that Jahanzaib had an abnormality called Sidus Diversis, where the organs are on opposite sides of the body. The infant was placed on a children’s transplant list and the parents hoped for the best for their son.
However, the longer Jahanzaib stayed on the wait list, the worse he got. The parents told the NY Daily News that their son’s eyes were jaundiced that that he was crying yellow tears. Not wanting to wait any longer, Rabia discovered that she was a perfect match to donate a segment of her liver to her son and decided to go through with the transplant.
“It was the worst time in my life,” said the father about December 4, the day his wife and son were both on operating tables.
The news source reported that the surgeries were successful and Jahanzaib was able to return home two weeks later. It has been two months since the transplant and the change in the little boy is drastic, said the parents, noting that the jaundice went away and he started gaining weight. Doctors are optimistic about Jahanzaib’s progress and say that his liver is working great now.
–our SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT