Becoming a mother makes you feel empowered, elated and invincible and this was the same that Bisharo Abdirashid Ahmed from Somalia was experiencing when she was expecting her first child. It was an exciting time because of the newness of the experience but was also the time of great uncertainty. The 28th October 2017 was the day that she was waiting for- a day when a little angel Zamzam Abdinur Ahmed was born. “The day I was blessed with girl I was feeling that my heart is walking outside my body. But there was some problem; doctor told me that she is born with left ventricular dysfunction. At first, I didn’t understand what that means then doctor told me in simple words that she was born with cardiac disorders. I was still in hospital and in absolute shock. Who wouldn’t be? It’s very scary and hard pill to swallow.”
She was finally able to check herself out and arrived at the children’s hospital in the middle of the night. She slept on the seat of the waiting room that first night which could make her weak and stressful for several weeks. But as it is said that becoming a mother expands the parameters and it is kind of love which is entirely different than love you have for spouse, friends or parents. However, this problem was about to take the worst turn when a doctor said baby Zamzam has to undergo an operation and it isn’t possible in Somalia. Mrs. Bisharo was in a great dilemma which country to choose for the operation of her daughter.
One of the doctors recommended her to go to the best hospital for pediatric heart surgery in India; this is when she reached out to Vaidam with her query. She was asked to share medical reports of Zamzam, which were further shared with hospitals in India. To take this case further, the quotation received from various hospitals were shared with Bisharo where Zamzam was recommended for PDA ligation surgery and she opted for Medanta-The Medicity. The appointment was fixed with Dr. Anil Bhan for 5th March and Bisharo along with her mother came to India on 4th March.
“After close examination, Dr. Anil - one of the top 10 pediatric cardiac surgeons in India, started the surgery. I know I shouldn’t use these words but at that time, I didn’t think Zamzam was going to make it. Her surgery took a grueling 8 hours. She was unrecognizable- attached to what seemed like hundreds of cords and tubes. We spend 12 days in hospital. We showered, ate and prayed in hospital every day, worrying constantly.”
Zamzam was discharged after 12 days but was going to be treated as out-patient for one month. On every alternate day, Bisharo visited the hospital with Zamzam to check whether everything is fine. By God’s grace, Bisharo’s prayers were answered and her baby was fit to go home.
“Seeing my baby covered with tubes was my breaking point. I tried to stay strong throughout the process, not for me but for Zamzam. I didn’t hold Zamzam for this entire time until she started to turn around. It is an incredibly tough and heartbreaking situation to go through, but it is important to keep in mind how fortunate we are. I have shared my experience to help ease the anxiety of another scared parent, as well as let them know that how heroic our kids can be, even if you never witness their fight.” said Bisharo while wiping her eyes.
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