‘Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.’ That’s what she exhibited — courage in face of adversity. And she managed to pull of the impossible with the support of her children.
Firdaus Begum couldn’t have asked for a better Id gift. She got a new lease of life, a gift presented by her teenaged son, Mohsin. Till a few weeks ago she never thought she would live through to celebrate the Id as her kidney problem got worse by the day. But with her son coming forward to donate his kidney and her daughters standing by her, Firdaus successfully underwent renal transplant. She got discharged from the hospital on July 14, just in time for the Id festivities.
Hers is a story of grit and determination, a story of children standing by their ailing mother when the father deserted the family.
Hailing from Warangal, 35 year old Firdaus suffered total kidney failure. But she was in for a bigger shock as her husband abandoned the family as he did not want to share the burden.
With four children to support while combating a debilitating disease, Firdaus started counting her days. But her elder son decided to take charge and support her. He gave up his studies and started assisting a cook in Warangal. His earnings of Rs. 500 for slicing onions for marriage feasts were too meagre to support the family and meet the medical expenses of his mother who was undergoing dialysis at the Vishwas Hospital in Warangal. Finally he decided to donate his kidney to save her life.
Things started looking up when Hyderabad-based Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) learnt of their plight and resolved to pitch in. Firdaus and her family shifted to Hyderabad and Dr. Rajashekara Chadravarthy, nephrologist at Care Hospitals, took up the case.
“He is such a caring son. He risked his own life to save me,” says Firdaus as her eyes well up with tears. Mohsin was put through a series of tests to check for compatibility prior to the renal transplant. But he has forgotten all that and is only happy to see his mother on the road to recovery. While the renal transplant cost is taken care of by the Aryogyasri Trust, HHF raised funds through donors to meet the expenses towards pre-transplant and post-transplant medicines. “I salute the children, particularly Mohsin, who took the huge risk of donating his kidney,” says HHF president, Mujtaba Hasan Askari.
Firdaus has another reason to be happy. HHF has decided to employ Mohsin as a field coordinator primarily because of the medical knowledge he gained dealing with his mother’s condition.
“He will be a boon to HHF,” says Askari.
Fortune, sure, favours the brave.
