​​​14-year-old Usman Rasheed wears the scars of pain and suffering behind his beaming smile. His skin has been pricked far too often, his eyes have shed many tears, and he has had sleepless nights; more than an average boy his age should. Yet, with grit and resilience, he remains steadfast through all the trials and tribulations, holding his father's hand with trust and hope.

The family of four has been living in the Mominabad district in Karachi for the last 18 years. Abdul Rasheed, Usman's father, works as a chauffeur and his wife, Saira, is a stay-at-home spouse. Usman, now 14, studies in the seventh grade at a school in nearby Metroville. His 10-year-old brother, Ayan, also faced complications very early in life and still struggles with gastrointestinal issues.

Since Usman's birth, Saira knew he was weak, but she did not imagine the journey would be this arduous: “Since his birth, I knew that Usman had problems; in his early days, he could not keep his head steady. He also had constipation issues. We took him to a local clinic where the doctor gave us medicines and told us not to worry too much." But the problems persisted, and even began to manifest in diverse ways: “Usman would not eat meat. We saw that he would vomit whenever he would eat meat." Usman also started experiencing a constant low-grade fever, which would give him respite for a day or two at most before returning.

At first, Saira thought the young boy was fatigued because of his feeble diet and his strenuous activities. Usman studied at school and went to the madrassah after school in the evenings.

5^th November 2016 is a day Saira will never forget: “Usman was at his school. It was after 12 pm. He felt fatigued and told his teacher about it. His teacher asked him to put his head on the desk and rest for a while. Moments later, when the teacher tried to wake him up, Usman was deep asleep and irritable. When he did wake up, his eyes were yellow." He was rushed to a local clinic and was diagnosed with jaundice. Blood tests followed, painting a picture of panic and concern for Abdul Rasheed and Saira. They then took Usman to a larger hospital. The doctors at that hospital told them that there was nothing they could do for Usman and recommended that they take him to the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH).

When Abdul Rasheed and Saira brought Usman to AKUH, he was taken under the close supervision of senior doctors. On 16^th November, Usman suffered liver failure. His parents were asked by the AKUH doctors to fly to Islamabad for a liver transplant. The team of AKUH doctors accompanied the panic-stricken parents on the journey, supervising all surgeries and medications.

Usman came back to Karachi cured and in much better shape. When the bills for the treatment came in, Usman's parents knew they could not afford them. They applied for Zakat support at the Patients' Behbud Society (PBS). PBS assured them of all support. All they needed to do was to look after Usman. Saira recounts this moment: “I did not have even three thousand rupees when we brought Usman to AKUH. I do not think we could afford even a single blood test."

“PBS is nothing less than a blessing for poor people. Today, our son is alive and well in front of our eyes, thanks to PBS and its donors who have helped us."

​​Your donations in the form of zakat / sadaqat go a long way in bringing much respite in people's lives.

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