UAE charity raises money to help child born with rare urinary tract blockage

Baby Mohammed is receiving care at a hospital and needs 13 dialysis sessions every month

Baby Mohammed was born with a disease that causes a blockage in his urethra, which can cause kidney failure. Recently, a fundraiser was organised to pay for his hospital treatment. Photo: Mahzooz

A charity has raised money to help pay for the hospital treatment of a child who suffers from ureteral obstruction, a condition that affects his kidneys.

Al Jalila Foundation organised a fund-raising campaign so that baby Mohammed, 1, could receive critical medical care.

Mohammed was born with a disease that causes a blockage in his urethra, which can cause kidney failure.

To treat the condition, he must undergo 13 haemodialysis sessions per month and cardiac imaging every three months, in addition to follow-up tests, medications, and regular visits to a heart clinic and a nutritionist.

Haemodialysis is a procedure where a dialysis machine and a special filter, called an artificial kidney or a dialyser, are used to clean the blood while cardiac imaging is used to diagnose diseases of the heart.

Several people contributed to the fund-raiser and Mahzooz, the raffle draw, paid a big amount needed for therapy.

Mohammed is currently receiving care at a hospital in the UAE and is recovering.

He will have to undergo treatment all his life for which he will need more money. Mahzooz donated Dh40,000 to cover the first stage of the therapy and Al Jalila Foundation, through its Aawen programme, will continue to contribute to the treatment costs.

“As a parent, it was heartbreaking to see our baby in the condition he was in," said Abrar, Mohammed’s father, who is from Pakistan but has been a Dubai resident for 20 years.

"He's had several surgeries and was always in pain. He could not walk or even play and we did not have the money for his treatment.

"Three months ago, we were extremely worried about the lack of funds for his treatment.

"Initially, we were doing dialysis at home, but this was causing him recurring infections. Now, thanks to Al Jalila Foundation and Mahzooz, we can do his dialysis at the hospital.

"He is currently getting the best treatment, and as parents, we could not be more grateful.”

Farid Samji, chief executive of Ewings, the managing operator of Mahzooz, said helping Al Jalila Foundation was a part of the company's corporate social responsibility programme.

"When we learnt about Mohammed’s situation, we immediately reached out to Al Jalila Foundation to see how we could help his family," he said.

"We were able to cover the remaining cost of the treatment required towards the upkeep and improvements in Mohammed’s life.

"His parents want him to be healthy, happy, and enjoy life and that feeling is something that you cannot put a price on.”

Al Jalila Foundation, founded in 2013, is a charity organisation that works to promote medical education and research in the UAE. It organises fund-raising events and has raised more than Dh5 million to help people in need.

You can contact the foundation on 800ALJALILA or email at [e-mail].

Mahzooz, previously called Emirates Loto, holds weekly raffle draws with a grand prize of Dh50 million.

The draws take place every Saturday and are live-streamed on its website at 9pm.

Entrants can participate in Mahzooz by registering via www.mahzooz.ae and buying a bottle of water for Dh35.

For each bottle purchased, participants are eligible for one line in the Grand Draw and will automatically be entered into the weekly raffle, where three people will take home Dh100,000 each.