Orphanage Teacher Struggles To Save 10-Day-Old Who Cannot Eat | Milaap
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Orphanage Teacher Struggles To Save 10-Day-Old Who Cannot Eat
  • Uma

    Created by

    Uma
  • Bo

    This fundraiser will benefit

    Baby of Shajitha

    from Cheranalloor, Kerala

Instead of her mother’s waiting arms, my baby girl was taken straight to the ventilator after her birth. She is 10-days-old now, but cannot breathe on her own and hasn’t been able to drink even an ounce of milk. Without a surgery today, she will not survive. The children at the orphanage where I teach call me and ask me when they can see their new ‘baby sister’, but I have no answer as I cannot afford her life-saving surgery."-Haneefa, father.

A severe birth defect threatens to shorten this sweet baby’s life

Haneefa and Shajitha’s newborn baby girl did not cry right after birth, and showed signs of extreme breathing difficulty. Since she was born in a government hospital with limited facilities in Muvattupuzha, Kerala, her father had to rush her to a better hospital in Kochi which had ventilator facility, in a specialized ambulance. Soon after, their baby girl was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a condition where the diaphragm (muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen) fails to close during prenatal development, resulting in other organs like stomach, intestines and liver to migrate into the chest. This condition is causing her breathlessness and making her unable to feed. She needs an urgent surgery to recover from this condition.

“When I visit her for a few minutes during the day, I can’t even see her face properly due to the tubes that cover her nose and mouth. When my wife asks me who she resembles, I have no answer.”-Haneefa, with tears in his eyes.

The mother has not been able to see her baby even once due to her poor health

Haneefa and Shajitha were living a modest but content life with their two children, Shahal (17) and Salid (8) when Shajitha got pregnant for the third time. Though the pregnancy was unexpected, Shajitha considered it God’s gift and prayed for a baby girl. Her wish did come true when her little angel was born, but due to a cruel twist of fate, she hasn’t been able to see her baby even once. Shajitha is still admitted in another hospital as she has not recovered from her C-section yet. In addition, she also suffers from painful varicose veins, which has become worse after the delivery now.



Shajitha is very weak and can barely get up from bed, but she still calls me every hour asking how the baby is doing. I tell her everything is going to be alright despite knowing that I cannot afford the money for the surgery.”-Haneefa.

Being a poor orphanage teacher, affording his baby’s surgery is completely out of Haneefa’s reach

Haneefa teaches at a madrassa orphanage in Thrissur, Kerala. He considers the children there as family, and they were very excited to know that he was going to have a baby soon. They were looking forward to meet the new baby and play with them, but Haneefa has not been able to go back to teach after his baby got so sick. He borrowed more than Rs 50,000 to get her admitted, but has completely run out of money now. The baby girl needs an immediate surgery, but her father is helpless.

“I regret not saving money, but I do not earn a lot to do that. On Rs 8000 per month, I would take care of my wife and two children. Using the remaining money, I would buy things for the orphan children. I wish I find a way to save my child before it is too late.”-Haneefa

How you can help

Haneefa’s newborn baby girl is not able to breathe or feed due to a birth complication causing her internal organs to push up to her chest. Without an urgent surgery, she will not make it. Her father, an orphanage teacher, does not have the means to save her.

Your kind contribution can ensure that this father is able to save his daughter


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