An untimely end: Girl with bleeding disorder succumbs to fatal disease

Malaika had earlier shown unmatched resolve, vowing not to let the illness make her give up.


Our Correspondent August 22, 2014

MANSEHRA:


A teenage girl suffering from a bleeding disorder died in the hospital after fighting for her life for over four years, the bereaved family said on Friday.


According to medical reports, Malaika, 18, had Factor II Deficiency, an ailment also known as hypoprothrombinemia which causes severe blood loss and impaired clotting. She passed away at PIMS, Islamabad on August 21.

Malaika was born to a journalist from Mohallah Nogazi in Mansehra, Kifayat Shah. “As a child she was very active and energetic like her four other siblings,” said her mother, schoolteacher Zehra Bibi, while speaking to the media earlier this month. “Malaika was always extraordinarily talented and stood first in her class from prep school up till her intermediate. She also clinched third position in BISE Abbottabad’s exams this year with over 900 marks.”

It was about four years ago, when Malaika was doing household chores with her mother after school, when a minor cut on her finger caused excessive bleeding and she fell unconscious.

“We took her to the hospital and the doctor managed to control the bleeding after some time,” said Zehra. “Malaika recovered from the trauma and all of us were relieved, until the same thing happened again, 25 days later.”

The schoolgirl was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state, where doctors performed a complete pathological analysis, confirming the bleeding disorder.

Speaking to the media from her home earlier in August, Malaika had put up a brave front while talking about tackling her sickness. “I spend only 15 or 20 days a month studying, until I fall unconscious in the classroom and the school administration shifts me to a hospital,” she had said. “I am not sure where my life is going, but keeping up my courage helps me cope with things.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2014.

COMMENTS (3)

Prognosticator | 9 years ago | Reply

RIP little angel! I hope one day Pakistan will place enough weight on modern education so that children like do not have to make the ultimate sacrifice. There are so many countries where this condition is effectively managed and patients live a near-normal life.

the Skunk | 9 years ago | Reply

Inna Lillahe WA Inna Ilaihe Rajeoon. Ameen. RIP Malaika. Allah Ta'ala loves you more than us that is why you have gone back to Him. Salams

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