ABU DHABI // A single mother who lost her right leg in an accident as a child is hoping to raise money for a new prosthetic limb.
The 27-year-old from Pakistan has raised her six-year-old daughter alone but has always had an optimistic outlook and not focused too much on her disability, which occurred when she was two years old.
“Someone left me to play on the train tracks when I was small,” she said. “When the train started, it took my whole leg.”
A charity provided her with a prosthetic leg.
“I am grateful because many people in Pakistan don’t have both their legs and I was given a plastic leg. These people don’t have a plastic leg like me,” she said.
The prosthetic leg has given her opportunities that might not have come for other women in her country with disabilities, she said.
“I came to the UAE two years ago and found a job selling insurance plans.
“My family want me to support them and my ex has never paid a single fil to me or his daughter.”
While she earns only Dh2,000 a month and can no longer afford to pay for her daughter’s tuition fees, the mother is appealing for help for a new leg to help her continue to support her family.
“I can work and do everything, but I can’t afford a new leg.”
Her salary is barely enough to cover rent, utility bills and food, she said.
Her current prosthetic has cracks around the joint, which she repaired, but it will soon be useless.
“I don’t know what I’ll do when it breaks. I won’t be able to do anything.”
A prosthetic leg costs about Dh60,000.
Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of Zakat and Social Services at Dar Al Ber Society, said: “She has always supported herself and her daughter despite her disability. She relies heavily on her prosthetic to move around and work. She needs a new leg because her current one is breaking. When it breaks, she will not be able to work or care for her young daughter. We hope readers can assist in getting her a new prosthetic.”
salnuwais@thenational.ae
