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Shehzadi, now seven years old, is a little girl who lives with her family in a remote village in Pakistan. Her parents, mother Musammmat Jahan and father Ali Hassan Shaikh, are desperate to seek help for their young daughter because they fear she will soon die from her persistent eye cancer.
This is her tragic story.
When Shehzadi was just eight months old, her parents noticed that her left eye was swelling. Concerned, they took her to the doctors in their remote village who were absolutely “clueless” as to how to best tend to the girl.
Their care only proved to be detrimental to Shehzadi’s health because it caused the swelling to grow even larger.
Jahan recalled, “She was beautiful, healthy child but one day she started crying uncontrollably. When I held her up, I saw her eyes were red. Every day, water would come out of her eyes for no reason.”
Fearful, but determined, Jahan and Shaikh continued to seek out the help from other doctors in neighboring towns and cities. They were determined to find suitable help for their daughter before giving in.
Unfortunately, the couple continued to come head-to-head with discouraging news. Doctors were unable to diagnose Shehzadi. Others simply refused to see her. Even more simply deferred the family to other, more “advanced doctors further afield.”
It was only when Shehzadi saw a doctor from the city of Karachi that the family finally received a diagnosis.
The little girl was suffering from eye cancer and needed to have the cancerous tumor in her eye removed before it was too late.
The family didn’t delay in scheduling the procedure and were relieved when Shehzadi seemed to be showing signs of improvement and no more signs of swelling in the weeks following the operation.
But their happiness didn’t last long.
Just a couple months later, Shehzadi’s face began to swell up again. And this time, it wasn’t just limited to her eye.
Her entire face had begun to swell. The growth happened far more quickly this time than it had when Shehzadi was just a little girl. There was little Shehzadi’s parents could do but watch hopelessly as their daughter succumbed once again to the disease.
In what seemed to be no time at all for the family, the girl’s face had effectively doubled in size. While the swelling had once been contained to just her eye, the tumor was now taking over the entire left side of her face and was approximately the size of a football.
Shaikh said of their family’s desperate search for medical help, “We were distraught but had hopes that she would now live a healthy life. But in no time, her face ballooned.
“We have exhausted all our savings in travelling from cities to cities in hope for her treatment. We have no money left for her further treatment.”
Even if the family had had the means to afford further treatment for their daughter, they also had no clue where to go. None of the doctors they’d already seen in the past would be able to help because they’d already denied the family help.
The doctor who was able to help Shehzadi is also out of the question because his original help was what caused this problem to return not just at full strength, but with even greater force than before.
Shehzadi’s mother is almost out of hope. “God knows if she can ever see again,” she said. “We do not know what has happened to her.”
The family had initially hoped that they would be able to find a doctor who can not only save Shehzadi’s life, but also preserve her eyesight in her left eye. Now, they’re simply hoping to find a doctor who can promise to save their daughter’s life from the massive tumor and give her a chance to live a normal life.
They have since turned to anyone and everyone for help, including their landlords, local businessmen and government officials, to come forward and help them. Anything, whether it’s referencing them to a doctor, providing money, or even transportation and shelter, would be a huge benefit to them.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Shehzadi and her family during this time, and we hope this little girl will be able to receive the help she needs soon.
