Abbas Rahmani’s Medical Fund

My name is Abas Rahmani. I am qualified as a Civil Engineer and prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, I was working as a Project Manager enjoying a well-paid position and a comfortable life with my family. Soon after the revolution, I was sacked due to my religious belief and all my entitlements after years of service were forfeited.

Losing my position was just the beginning as over the next fifteen years all our properties were confiscated and at the same time, I was denied my civil rights due to my religious belief. This meant I was not allowed to work in any Government or public organisation to earn a living for my family. It also made it extremely difficult for me to find any other form of employment in Iran.

I later decided to use whatever savings my family and I could salvage and also borrowed some funds to purchase a piece of farming land. I thought by cultivating the land I could earn a living to support my family and at the same time contribute to the welfare of my community. Unfortunately, a long-lasting drought resulted in not only losing the farm but everything else including our family home leading eventually to my bankruptcy. This was extremely hard for me to come to terms with as throughout my life I was known for my generosity and assisting the needy, but I could no longer afford to pay any of my bills or even buy our daily food. My financial situation became so dire that I had no choice but to ask my sister who is a pensioner in Australia to keep paying my rent! I also sought financial support from other members of my extended family without which my wife and I could barely survive.

The stress of this ordeal was so intense that it resulted in a rapid deterioration of my health to the extent that I now require an urgent surgery to repair the damaged main artery to my heart. The procedure is known as Aortic Vessel type 2 without which I may eventually lose consciousness and die. This treatment can only be performed in Tehran (Iran’s capital city) at an estimated cost of at least $55,000.

I am now 68 years old and it is nearly a year since I was due for the surgery but as I cannot afford to pay for the treatment, my health is worsen every day that passes however I have no option but to wait, hoping and praying for a miracle to save my life and my family. In the meantime, I have been unable to walk or perform any physical activity and cannot afford the prescribed medication to somehow ease my pain and suffering. At the same time, my wife is also dependent on some medications for her ongoing sever health complications but unfortunately, we cannot afford these medications either.