An expatriate mother pleaded for help as her eight-year-old daughter suffered a rare disorder which costs AED 8 million for treatment, and HH Sheikh Mohammed has stepped up to fund her treatment.
Massar Mundhar, who hails from Iraq, posted a video on the internet explaining her daughter, Laveen suffers level two spinal muscle atrophy, a genetic disorder that weakens the muscles and it only worsens with age. The treatment costs a whooping AED 8 million, and it’s only available at the Al Jalilah Hospital in Dubai.
Mundhar mentioned she’s racing against time as doctors warned her the treatment must be completed before Laveen turns two years old and only has six months remaining to make the payment.
Scores of users on the internet shared Mundhar’s video in a bid to reach Dubai’s Ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It turns out, within a day, the Emir, accepted to fund the two-year-old’s treatment.
Via Giphy
Local media outlet The National reports the treatment, known as Zolgensma, is regarded “as the most expensive drug in the world,” further explaining “It acts as a replacement to the missing gene, which causes spinal muscular atrophy.”
UAE Royals are known for their generous gestures, and very often, they rise to the occasion providing humanitarian aid and monetary donations to curb one’s healthcare bills.
Last June, Sheikh Mohammed came to the rescue of a 15-year-old kidney patient’s dialysis, taking responsibility for his healthcare costs, and sent him a bouquet, an iPad, and a heartwarming message that reads “This is a small gesture from me to you to remind you that you are at home here and that you are in safe hands and I will pray to God to keep you in good health and safety…”
In the following month, Sheikh Mohammed’s son, Dubai Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum paid AED 800,000 for a Nigerian couple’s healthcare bills after giving birth to quadruplets. The parents named one of their children ‘Hamdan,’ as a tribute to the Royal’s gesture.
(Featured photograph credit: Dubai Media Office)
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