ABU DHABI // Shaima Khalid Mohammed nearly died after doctors failed to diagnose a life-threatening condition when she was a baby.
She was born on April 15, 2011 - eight months before the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi set out new standards for screening for congenital heart disease in newborns.
"She would keep crying all night and wouldn't sleep," said Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Dalahi, Shaima's father. "We noticed she had difficulty breathing and taking in oxygen. Before we knew it, she started turning blue."
The concerned parents took Shaima to another hospital.
"The doctor told us everything was fine - that she was probably just suffering from indigestion and sent us home," Mr Dalahi, an Emirati, said.
But her condition persisted, and two days later she was taken to a third hospital, where doctors discovered Shaima's heart condition and referred the family to a hospital with paediatric cardiologists.
An echocardiogram showed Shaima suffered from double outlet right ventricle, a form of congenital heart disease in which there is a hole between the ventricles of the heart. Also, both blood vessels leave the right ventricle, which normally provides blood to the lungs. This malposition can result in cyanosis, or blue baby syndrome.
Doctors inserted a shunt, partially relieving the cyanosis, but they did not fix the hole in the baby's heart.
"Shaima was still sick and her movement wasn't normal," Mr Dalahi said. "She couldn't crawl properly and got tired quickly. She came out from the surgery worse than when she was admitted."
Tests showed she had DiGeorge Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder often characterised by congenital heart disease. It can cause unusual facial characteristics and affect a child's growth and development.
"What's strange is the [birthing hospital] noticed that Shaima's mouth was smaller than usual," her mother said. "But they just put 'abnormally small mouth' in her file and made nothing of it."
Doctors said Shaima needed a follow-up procedure, but she fell ill every time they scheduled the surgery. After three such incidents, Mr Dalahi took it as a sign. "I requested that my daughter be referred for treatment abroad," he said.
Shaima, then 18 months, was referred to the US Children's National Medical Centre, where she underwent surgery to patch the hole in her heart. Tissue blocking the artery to the lungs was also cleared.
The survival rate for newborns who undergo heart surgery is 95 per cent. This has led to a growing demand for adult care providers, said Dr Gerard Martin, co-director of the US Children's National Heart Institute. "We need to have patients like Shaima understand the importance of lifelong care," he added.
Dr Martin said the shunt procedure Shaima received in Abu Dhabi was life-saving and allowed her to grow and develop safely until she received corrective surgery.
"Survival depends upon surgical correction, usually in the first year of life," he said.
Shaima's parents said they were impressed by the way doctors at Children's National cared for her.
Mr Dalahi added: "We've been blessed with so many things here," he said. "The Government has made everything available to us, including covering the expenses for medical treatment abroad. We have the most sophisticated facilities but we are lacking qualified doctors.
"Until this improves I advise any Emirati with a child who requires surgical treatment to request a referral to travel abroad. I also urge doctors who don't have the capacity to operate on children to refrain from doing so, and not to be afraid to refer families overseas. We're talking about children's lives."
mismail@thenational.ae
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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