Liver Transplant for Father of Three

I would like to ask for you to join me in helping my good friend, Dr Ahmed Arif. Between 2014 and 2017, Ahmed and I worked together at the University in Bologna, where Ahmed held a Marie Curie fellowship. In 2017, Ahmed went back to Pakistan to teach finance at the National University in Lahore. You can find out more about Ahmed’s academic work at https://www.nu.edu.pk/Campus/Employee/5483.

Now, Ahmed is asking his friends to help his family at a time of great need. Ahmed’s uncle, Mr Mazhar Abdullah (50) needs a liver transplant in the next three months. Mr Abdullah is a father of three children, Hafsah (11), Zain (8) and Haider (6). He lives with his family in Faisalabad. His liver was damaged by Hepatitis C. Now, he is experiencing ascites, encephalopathy and other complications.

Doctor Faisal Saud Dar is a leading authority on liver disease. He works at Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital in Islamabad. It is Doctor Dar’s opinion that Mr Abdullah requires a transplant urgently. The operation will cost six million Pakistani rupees (€32,000). Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the state does not cover the cost of treatment - Mazhar’s family must pay. Hospitals in Pakistan are only performing living donor transplants. A part of the liver is taken from the donor. As per the doctor, the donor’s liver fully regrows within two months.A suitable, living donor has already volunteered. His name is Shahid Farooq. He is Mr Abdullah’s cousin. All that remains to be done is for funds to be secured to pay for the procedure.

Ahmed is trying to raise these funds in Pakistan and abroad. The family have also appealed to local government, but it does not appear that assistance is forthcoming. Unfortunately, there is not an established system to get support for such cases from Government in Pakistan. However, sometimes the support is provided through members of parliaments.The concerned MP has been contacted but no encouraging response is received yet. This GoGetFunding campaign was started in the hope of reaching Ahmed’s network in Europe. As GoGetFunding does not allow withdrawals in Pakistan, I am collecting money on Dr Arif's behalf in Bulgaria, where I am resident. Once the fundraiser ends, I will transfer the donations to Dr Arif, who will apply it to Mr Abdullah's treatment. Ahmed and other family members are also collecting funds through other means. In case the target is not reached, Mazhar’s family will have to sell their house and the money raised till that point will be used to help the family and support Mazhar’s post surgery medical expenses.