 Testimony of a young Muslim heart transplant patient
This remarkable young man Yasir Akram(22) came to the Master Class on Islamic Medical Ethics organised by the Muslim Spiritual Care Provision in the NHS , at the Royal Society of Medicine on Monday, 10th May 2010 where in the session on 'Organ Transplantation' he narrated his following moving story. It was so touching that it reduced many participants to tears.
`I was put on the transplant list; I was told to wait until a donor came along. My heart beat rate was barely 17% and I was close to death. This news came as a terrible shock but I refused to give up hope, I had full trust in my Lord Allah and the beloved prophet (SAW). I believed that Allah has the power to ease the pain for me and give me the gift of life. To give me a second chance to make my life better in order to grasp heaven.
My prayers were answered and luckily a donor heart was found for me within a week and my life was saved. Life! What a wonderful gift given to us by the Lord of the worlds – Allah, azza wa jallah.
It has been 2 years and a few months since I had a heart transplant, 2 years since my life had changed, forever, physically and spiritually. Before my transplant, I was an ordinary person continuing with my work in a local supermarket. I went to Pakistan and got married. It was only when I returned from Pakistan and resumed work that symptoms started to develop, I was feeling tired, worn out and physically unfit which led me to leave work. When the symptoms continued and started to deteriorate further my GP referred me to Heartlands Hospital. I was in sheer pain for weeks and I was told I need a transplant. I was then transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
I had a new lease of life as a result of a generous gift of someone whom I will never know. What shocks me is that, my own Asian community and more so Muslims do not donate their organs. I am sure it is allowed, if we can accept donated organs why can't we donate them, ourselves?' |
