Pak man raises over Rs 26 lakh from virtual friends to save ailing mother
NEW DELHI: Twenty-four-year-old Yasin Arshad, who comes from Pakistan, was in dire need of money for his mother's liver transplant.
He created a page called 'Save My Mother's Life' on Facebook and was, surprisingly, able to garner support from Pakistan's Punjab Province government, several NGOs from the country and netizens all over the world. With donations worth more than 50 lakh Pakistani rupees, he was able to give his mother a new lease of life. Arshad's mother underwent the transplant procedure successfully at a Delhi hospital last month and is perfectly fine now.
"We spent all our savings and sold our jewellery but were still in need of funds. I even asked my friends in the university for financial help but to no avail. Ultimately, I decided to create this Facebook page hoping to draw the attention of the local government and the international community and I received an overwhelming response," said Arshad, a resident of Sialkot in Lahore. He created the page about six months ago and posted his mother's medical reports, along with his correspondence with doctors in India detailing the cost of the treatment, so that his claim seemed genuine.
"In the beginning, many people did not take it seriously considering it a ploy to make money. My relatives were also sceptical and did not support me. But after the local media published a story about my predicament, Pakistan's Punjab Province government came forward to help and gave us 35 lakh Pakistani rupees for treatment. The Baitulmal, an agency collecting relief fund, donated 50,000 Pakistani rupees. Many other friends on Facebook also extended support. My mother is overjoyed and doctors say she will lead a healthy life," said Arshad.
Apart from raising funds, the boy worked to feed his family. "Since my father is a heart patient and a diabetic, he cannot work. I am the sole breadwinner of the family, which includes my parents and two sisters," said the boy. He quit his MBA two years ago and took up the job of a merchandiser in a local company where he got Rs 10,000 a month as salary.
According to Dr Subhash Gupta, liver surgeon at Apollo Hospital, the patient's liver was completely damaged and there was no option except for transplant. "We conducted an 18-hour operation to save the patient in which 50% of the son's liver was used for the transplant. Both the patient and donor are healthy now," said Gupta. Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairman Apollo Hospitals group, lauded the efforts made by the boy as well as the doctors. He said a total of 500 successful liver transplants have been conducted at the hospital.
Pak man raises over Rs 26 lakh from virtual friends to save ailing mother - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Twenty-four-year-old Yasin Arshad, who comes from Pakistan, was in dire need of money for his mother's liver transplant.
He created a page called 'Save My Mother's Life' on Facebook and was, surprisingly, able to garner support from Pakistan's Punjab Province government, several NGOs from the country and netizens all over the world. With donations worth more than 50 lakh Pakistani rupees, he was able to give his mother a new lease of life. Arshad's mother underwent the transplant procedure successfully at a Delhi hospital last month and is perfectly fine now.
"We spent all our savings and sold our jewellery but were still in need of funds. I even asked my friends in the university for financial help but to no avail. Ultimately, I decided to create this Facebook page hoping to draw the attention of the local government and the international community and I received an overwhelming response," said Arshad, a resident of Sialkot in Lahore. He created the page about six months ago and posted his mother's medical reports, along with his correspondence with doctors in India detailing the cost of the treatment, so that his claim seemed genuine.
"In the beginning, many people did not take it seriously considering it a ploy to make money. My relatives were also sceptical and did not support me. But after the local media published a story about my predicament, Pakistan's Punjab Province government came forward to help and gave us 35 lakh Pakistani rupees for treatment. The Baitulmal, an agency collecting relief fund, donated 50,000 Pakistani rupees. Many other friends on Facebook also extended support. My mother is overjoyed and doctors say she will lead a healthy life," said Arshad.
Apart from raising funds, the boy worked to feed his family. "Since my father is a heart patient and a diabetic, he cannot work. I am the sole breadwinner of the family, which includes my parents and two sisters," said the boy. He quit his MBA two years ago and took up the job of a merchandiser in a local company where he got Rs 10,000 a month as salary.
According to Dr Subhash Gupta, liver surgeon at Apollo Hospital, the patient's liver was completely damaged and there was no option except for transplant. "We conducted an 18-hour operation to save the patient in which 50% of the son's liver was used for the transplant. Both the patient and donor are healthy now," said Gupta. Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairman Apollo Hospitals group, lauded the efforts made by the boy as well as the doctors. He said a total of 500 successful liver transplants have been conducted at the hospital.
Pak man raises over Rs 26 lakh from virtual friends to save ailing mother - The Times of India
