There is nothing more precious than one’s own child”… 57357 saved my daughter from illness and saved me from debt.
I promised myself that I would never be stingy with the hospital, even if it was with a little.
The hardest thing in the world is to feel that your child is slipping away from you, and you are unable to save him.” With these words, Samah’s father began to recount his journey with his daughter’s illness, a journey whose bitterness is only felt by those who have lived it.
Before Samah entered 57357, we lived months of torment, but thank God, we were compensated with this place. From the day my daughter was admitted in Hospital 57357, the worry of expenses was lifted from us, and they took care of all her treatment for free, and provided her with care and attention beyond description.
Samah’s father recounts: “We came from far away, from a small village near Matoubes Center in Beheira. We came here after a long journey between doctors. Samah was 4 years old when she started complaining of symptoms that wouldn’t go away: fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain. I took her to many doctors, but the condition was getting worse. After two months, we noticed the appearance of a clear squint in her eyes. The eye doctor requested an MRI of the brain, and we were surprised by the result: a brain tumor and fluid buildup pressing on the optic nerve. The only solution was to immediately install a shunt in the brain to drain the fluid and save her eye from blindness.”
Expenses and Debts
“There is nothing more precious than one’s own child.” With this phrase, the father described his feeling when he learned that the surgical intervention would be costly. But Samah’s life was precious. The father turned to everyone he knew, borrowed from relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances, and was finally able to install the shunt for Samah.
And the father continues: “Our joy was not complete, because we discovered that installing the shunt was the beginning of a long treatment journey, and that Samah might need surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation sessions. The shock was indescribable, because we did not have the price of a single session, and the debts accumulated, and there was no one else we could borrow from.”
A Light in the Darkness
“As they say, in the midst of darkness, God sends light. I was surprised by a call from a friend who was checking on Samah, and when he found out that she had a tumor, he asked me, ‘Why didn’t you go to 57357?’ I told him, ‘It’s a big hospital and it definitely needs connections.’ He said to me, ‘It’s a free hospital, it doesn’t need connections, and it has treated many children. Put your trust in God and go and try.'”
Dr. Osama El-Refai, who is responsible for following Samah’s case, says: “Samah’s condition was diagnosed as a brain tumor (BSG – Brainstem glioma). A sample of the tumor has been taken for analysis, as well as an analysis of tumor markers. After the results are available, the treatment protocol will be determined.”
The father confirms: “We are waiting for the result and we are all confident in God, in the hospital’s capabilities, and in all the people working in it. We know that the treatment journey is long, but our hope for recovery is great, and may God enable the hospital to bear the great responsibility it carries.”
Returning the Favor
And the father adds: “57357 has abounded my daughter with great gentle care and taken a great burden off of us. And I also decided not to be stingy with it with anything, no matter how small. It is true that I am a plasterer, and my livelihood is from God, but I have promised myself that any money I earn, I will donate a part of it to the hospital, no matter how small, and may God enable me to return the favor.”
Samah’s diagnosis: Brain tumor (BSG – Brainstem glioma)
Date of birth: 12-12-2019
Date of hospital admission: 18-1-2024