Dear Brothers & Sisters,
As salaamu alaykum, My younger brother, Hussain, just turned 18 last week. He suffers from thalassemia, which is a genetic blood disorder that causes the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells than normal.
It is treated through blood transfusions every three weeks. As a result of regular blood transfusions there is a build-up in iron in his blood, which is very painful for him, so he also needs to take additional treatment to remove excess iron. Without blood transfusions my brother Hussain wouldn't be alive. Although Hussain puts on a brave face, I'm his older brother, and I know he's always hurting inside. When he was young, my dad used to drive him to the hospital and he would sit with him for 12 hours as he received blood. Sometimes I used to go with him and we used to play board games. As I write this, he's at the hospital. He won't be back till 2:00am. To reduce the iron in his blood he used to attach a portacath (an implant) which delivers a liquid medicine whilst he sleeps. It's painful and when he was young he sometimes used to cry himself to sleep. At 16 he got an infection from the portacath and he was in hospital for two weeks. I remember my mum rushed him home from school, as he clutched his heart. I thought I was going to lose him, and I was crying as the ambulance took him away. I love Hussain very much and I hate to see him suffering. Sometimes I just want to give him a hug, and say I'll be there for him, but he hates to be pitied. To make things worse, he has Hepatitis C from an infected transfusion as a child. Last year he also had a cancer scare, and as usual he acted like nothing was wrong with him. But I know my brother, and I could sense the fear in his eyes. I prayed like hell for days, and thankfully it was a false alarm. Hussain is my younger brother and my best friend. He's always there for me, and I like to think I'm there for him when he needs me. We do everything together, I don't know what I would do if I were to lose him. He's very caring, always thinking of others and volunteering for charitable projects where he can give back to the community. I remember during the summer we went to Egypt and spent the week snorkelling. It makes me smile as I look back at the memories we share. Blood transfusions keep Hussain alive... They keep my little bro alive. It's really sad to see that in Muslim communities there are so few blood donors willing to help keep my brother alive. Since the launch of the Imam Hussain (a) Blood Donation campaign some years ago, I've been an avid supporter. During Muharram, I watch the queues of Muslim brothers and sisters remembering the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (a) by giving my brother the chance to live for another three weeks. And I am grateful. For this year's campaign, the Islamic Unity Society needs to raise £5000 to cover the costs of the Imam Hussain (a) Blood Donation campaign. They organise blood donation session across all major cities around the UK in memory of Imam Hussain (a). I know that £5000 sounds like a lot, but it gives so many people across the country the chance to breathe another day. We still need more people to make a donation, so please think of my brother and log on to: http://www.justgiving.com/iusblood Thank you to all of you who have donated so far, and please forward this message on to your contacts. Best wishes,
Mohammed Jawad * Names and identifiable details changed by the Islamic Unity Society to preserve the anonymity of the writer. |
