Mohammed Shafiq has never had an easy life. He has often wondered what it is like to live a 'normal' life. He works as a delivery man in Uber Eats and with the meagre income he earns he had to take care of his cancer-stricken mother and his bedridden sister (23) who needs help for even basic activities. For the first time in his life, he found a ray of hope when his baby was born. She is the only hope of his life and named her 'Aasya' meaning 'one who heals.' He felt that his little daughter has the magical power to heal all his sorrows and pain. But now, he feels the universe has let him down. He was completely shattered when his 6-month baby Aasya suddenly got violent seizures and lost consciousness for nearly 4 days. Baby Aasya's life is in danger and it has been a month since Shafiq went for work. With no income, he is both physically and emotionally exhausted, losing his hope day after day.

 Baby Aasya has been diagnosed with a very rare disease that affects the brain, leaving the whole family in utmost shock and despair

Baby Aasya was born healthy. When she didn't start rolling over like a 6-month-old baby, Shafiq and his wife Juwayriya thought that she might take some more time. They did not have any other reasons to worry about her health. Unexpectedly one day, baby Aasya got violent seizures and her eyes rolled up. Her parents were terrified and rushed her to a hospital. She was immediately taken to ICU and was not conscious for 4 days, she was also on ventilator support. A series of tests confirmed that baby Aasya has Toxic encephalopathy, a rare disease that affects the function or structure of the brain. It occurs when the hormone or other chemicals in the body are off their normal balance. It can also include the presence of an infection in the body or presence of toxic chemicals.

"I don't understand why my baby has to suffer so much, sometimes I feel it is because of my bad luck that she suffers. My body begins to tremble when I think of the first time she got seizures. Her little body is poked with needles and she is fed via tubes. I can't bear to see my angel fighting for her life." - Shafiq.

There has been no end to the poor parents' hurdles 

Shafiq is all alone at hospital taking care of his baby. He does not move from his baby's side even for a moment. He lives in constant fear of losing his daughter. As if these misfortunes were not enough for the poor couple to bear, they had another blow in their life after baby Aasya was admitted to hospital. Juwayriya's father passed away due to cancer. She had no other choice but to leave her baby in the care of her husband and attend the funeral. 


An old pic taken before baby Aasya's diagnosis

"I feel terrible at the moment. It must be extremely difficult for my wife, she has no time to even mourn her father's loss. She cries all the time looking at my baby's face. Everyone in my family is suffering in their own ways but I'm helpless and all I can do is to wait desperately for help." - Shafiq.

Poor father, with no income, now struggles to save his only daughter

Shafiq has not gone for work for more than a month, he has absolutely no income now. He has borrowed 3 lakh so far from his friends and needs 4 lakh more for the treatment. Baby Aasya needs another 2 days of ICU stay to recover completely. She is slowly recovering and her seizures are under control now. She can have a normal life if the treatment is continued. But, her father does not have anything left with him to save her life.

"I earned Rs 500 -700 per day. It was not enough for my basic needs. I worked day and night without any breaks even on weekends to make sure my baby gets everything. But now her life is in danger and I cannot do anything about it. My daughter is the only hope in my life and I can't imagine losing her." - Shafiq.

How you can help

6-month-old baby Aasya Mariyam suffers from violent seizures due to a rare brain disease. She is slowly recovering and needs to continue ICU stay to recover completely. Her poor father works as a delivery person for Uber eats and is the sole breadwinner of the family. His only hope in life is his baby girl but he cannot afford the treatment needed to save her life. Your support can help him take his baby back home.