No doctor tells me as to when my son will get well
Photo: Agamir Somoy
At an age when children should be running in fields and engrossed in playing with friends, six-year-old Abdullah has instead become acquainted with hospital beds and blood bags. To keep this child, who suffers from the rare disease thalassemia, alive, he now needs blood transfusions twice a month. Just a few years ago, one bag of blood per month was sufficient to sustain his life.
Abdullah is the young son of Milon Howlader and Ayesha Siddiqui, residents of Nowamala Nagarhat area in Bauphal Upazila, Patuakhali. He is a nursery student at Al-Iqra Cadet Nurani Madrasa. Despite growing older, Abdullah is not developing like a normal child. His body is growing weaker day by day.
Today, Saturday, around 5:00 PM, a conversation was held with Abdullah's mother, Ayesha Siddiqui, at the Upazila Health Complex.
According to family sources, signs of thalassemia were visible in Abdullah when he was only seven months old. His treatment has been ongoing ever since. His parents have run to various hospitals across the country, but no doctor has yet been able to confirm whether their child will fully recover.
Ayesha Siddiqui said in a tearful voice, "How many hospitals have I taken my son to? I've shown him to doctors. But no doctor tells me my son will get better. To keep him alive, he needs regular blood transfusions. Now he needs blood twice a month. Only Allah knows how I am managing."
She further said, "Abdullah's father, Milon Howlader, runs a vegetable business at Nowamala Bazaar. With his meager income, just running the household is a struggle. On top of that, affording our son's treatment, blood collection, and medicine costs has become nearly impossible. We spend 18-20 thousand taka per month on our son."
She added: "Whatever income we get from the shop, it doesn't even support running the household properly. My elder son, Alamin, works in a shoe factory in Dhaka. He helps with his younger brother's treatment as much as he can. We are trying to save our son. If we got some help, perhaps we could have given him better treatment."
Bauphal Upazila Health Officer Dr. Abdur Rouf said, "Thalassemia is a blood disorder. A person affected by this disease does not produce blood normally in their body. As a result, a gradual blood deficiency develops. Therefore, patients need blood transfusions at regular intervals. Apart from regular blood transfusions, there is no other way to keep this disease under control."
