So its been 6 days since the surgery. The good news is that Mustafa is showing no signs of infection and is recovering well. The bad news is that he had to stay in ICU for 6 days as he is pretty swollen after surgery (normal side effect) but because of this swelling , his internal airways are also becoming narrower and he is unable to hold his own to breathe. So he was hooked up to oxygen continuously. Plus feeding remains to be an issue. All in all , progress is slow but steady towards a positive outcome. He was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is now recuperating at the Ronald McDonald house for sick in Dallas. His mother is with him alone , as his father was denied a visa despite strong medical grounds. Please keep praying as he has miles to go. We are very close to finish line in meeting our goal. If we can reach our goal to pay for extra ICU days , it will help ease the mother's stress a bit. Please share with your social contacts. This family is zakat eligible

This is it ! The day when rubber hits the road - Mustafa is being prepared for his big surgery. Lot of tears, apprehension , anxiety but hopefulness in the eyes of his mother, Laraib , who is with him in the hospital now. Its very unfortunate that his father cannot be here at this critical moment in Mustafa's life. His visa to USA has been denied and he has appealed it so hopefully he will join them soon. The journey to this point has been very tough and wrought with financial constraints and lack of proper medical resources in his home country. This surgery will hopefully be the last of 3 surgeries that he has already undergone for his brain ailment. Please pray that he comes out of this surgery strong and recuperates without infections as this is a very complex surgery. Also this fundraiser is still collecting funds as we are still a few miles away from the finish line. You guys have been huge supporters of Mustafa this past year, opening up your hearts to him. Please add an extra prayer for him today ! I will keep updating this fundraiser frequently with mustafa's surgery outcome and progress, inshallah.

Mustafa will turn 3 years old on 16th June . Most likely Eid will also be celebrated in Pakistan on the 16th June. Mustafa does not get to celebrate birthdays like other kids do due to his medical condition and nor do his parents get the joy of another year passing with him suffering with his brain condition. It would be such a nice and befitting birthday gift to mustafa and his parents if we are able to reach the goal needed to get his brain surgery which is scheduled for 21st June. Please help spread word and consider donating to get to the finish line in these last few days of Ramadan

Hello folks its been very LONG time since I posted an update and a lot of you have private messaged me to get fresh updates on mustafa , understandably so! So here goes ;-

The GOOD : The front of his head is all mended and normal head structure is being maintained. The deep dent has gone.

The BAD :We had a rough few months post his surgery. He got multiple attacks of pneumonia as he is always bedridden and his food/liquids aspirates into his lungs. He lost a lot of weight due to constant hospitalization and antibiotics. Plus his spine started showing curvature (scoliosis) due to being bedridden. Thankfully now he is in an intensive physical therapy program where they exercise his body about 5 hours everyday. He wears body braces to keep the spine in optimum shape/curvature

The Future : . He is slowly gaining weight and is able to control his body/neck much better. He almost sits by himself (without support) and also stands on his feet with support. This is highly encouraging to his parents as they have seen him having physical abilities like a newborn for 2 year of his life. Mustafa HATES therapy as its tough on his body but is still plowing through like a champ so he can get ready for his next brain surgery in June.  This next surgery is going to be the real game changer for him. It will reduce his head size drastically ad touch a lot of critical areas in the brain and optical nerves etc. The risk is very HIGH but the gains are even higher. Once the surgery is success , we are expecting him to progress a lot in all aspects of development as it is will also fix the chiari malformation that he has in the brain. We received new medical estimates from the doctor amounting to $41k and surgery date is set for 21st June provided we are able to raise funds.  You all have supported us so far , please help in sharing this and getting us across the finish line! Adding some pictures for you to see his recent progress.

Assalamualaikum Brothers and Sisters,

Hope Ramadhaan is going well for you and your families. We are 20 down and only 10 more to go , Inshallah.

Firstly I would like to thank you for all the support you have provided to Baby Ibtisam and his family so far. They are highly appreciative of all your donations. Baby is doing well after his first surgery. His front of the head has improved a lot and size has gone down by 10 cms! He is getting ready for his next surgery scheduled in August(pending funds generation)

Baby's 2nd birthday is on 16th June ( tomorrow). It would be very nice for this family to see more donations and support come in on baby's special day so that family has enough to schedule the surgery date. Please consider donating something on baby's birthday , even if its is a small amount. Remember your small donation can have a big impact on this baby's life if we all come together.

Jazak Allah Khairun for all your assistance so far ! Attaching recent pictures of Baby Ibtisam with his twin brother and his parents. Please click HERE.

Regards
Seema in partnership with United Volunteers Association(non-profit)