Having to deal with an illness, or even worse a child that is ill, can be physically and emotionally straining.
And that’s before you get the crippling medical bill, that is often too large for any average person to pay off before their child goes off to college.
Not only did one couple withstand the pain and sleepless nights of worrying over their premature baby girl, but they were barred from comforting her in their own home when she was ready.
British-born father, Azhar Saleem, and his wife from Dubai, Syeda Khola Adnan, were making plans to move together to the UK to raise their child on the way.
As with many deliveries, the baby had a plan of her own.
The happy couple got married in December 2018 and Adnan immediately went to live with her husband in the UK on a visa until she was unexpectedly required to return to Dubai in March to apply for a spouse visa, according to Adnan’s Go Fund Me page.
In a surprising turn of events, the spouse visa was rejected!
Café Mom reports on Adnan’s explanation of the failed visa:
“My visa for the UK got rejected because we submitted the wrong kind of IELTS [English] test, based on our [lawyer’s] advice. Because of my visa being rejected, I was separated from my husband and had to face delivering my baby [alone] In Dubai.”
Adnan didn’t have insurance in her home country because she was planning on delivering in the UK with her husband where she would have been covered.
Before the visa could be arranged, the unthinkable happened – Adnan was having extreme pregnancy complications.
After seeing a fetal specialist in July, she found out that the amniotic fluid was low and the scared new mom was sent to the hospital.
On the parents’ GoFundMe page Adnan explained what was to transpire:
“Our baby’s heart rate and blood pressure was decreasing rapidly. They immediately did an emergency C-section and our baby was delivered by the grace of God.”
At only 23 weeks old gestation and a dainty little 400 grams in weight, Amal was born.
Merely the size of her mother’s hand, Amal struggled to survive outside the womb, but as time will tell she is a little fighter.
After many nights in the ICU, endless prayers, and invasive medical procedures Amal showed promising signs of a long future with her mom and dad.
The only thing a mother wants to do after her baby gets well is to take them home and snuggle them – but she couldn’t.
The hospital had the audacity to say to the family who had already been through so much “Settle the bill or you can’t take your little one home,” as Café Mom put it.
Everyone knows that hospital bills aren’t cheap. Amal’s was no different and racked in at over $120,000!
How were they ever going to be able to reconcile such a bill?
Adnan asked to make “monthly installments based on our capabilities,” but that motion was rejected with a counteroffer to pay all upfront or split it up into three payments; neither of which is reasonable.
Desperate to take their little girl home, the parents started a fundraising page where their story was detailed. Adnan added to the GoFundMe post:
“We really need help to bring my baby home, any kind of help would be appreciated. You don’t realize the situations you can find yourself in until you find yourself in them. I have never thought of asking for help before in my life, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and your pride and do everything you can to bring your loved ones, in this instance our baby home.”
Donations began pouring in from all over, and while thankful for the generosity of strangers, it wasn’t enough to pay Amal’s ransom.
That is until a miracle happened.
One stranger contacted the hospital on their own and settled the bill completely for a lump sum of over $68,000!
And just like that Amal’s medical bills were covered, and her parents had one less thing to worry about for the time being…that is until the next stage of parenting takes them by storm.
Acts of kindness by strangers is one of the most pure reminders that there is still hope for society among the groups trying to tear it apart.
We wish the best to the new family and our prayers go out to little Amal’s healing and development.
Please let us know in the comments section if you have ever been in a war over your body with a hospital.