The city has received the best ever Republic Day gift from across the border on the north-western side, when a father from Karachi mailed a poignant letter expressing his unconditional gratitude for the cochlear implants that his daughter got from here.
Adnan Adeel Memon, the engineer, mailed the 2,000-word letter to Mazhar Hussain of COVA, recalling how help from India transformed his daughter Khadija’s life.
Khadija, a born-deaf, was brought to the city’s Apollo Hospitals and became the first patient from Pakistan to get cochlear implants from here. The surgery was done free of cost, with financial assistance from the Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI) of Apollo Hospitals and the Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA).
Recalling the run-up to the surgery, Mr. Memon mentioned his despair before visiting the city, as his savings hardly sufficed the treatment. Upon advice from friends, he sent mails to over 300 individuals, groups and organisations, resulting in a reply from SAHI.
The baby was brought to India in August 2012, during the holy month of Ramzan. Soon after arrival, Khadija became ill with pneumonia due to which the surgery was postponed.
“The 42 days we spent in Hyderabad are amongst the unforgettable times of our life…. We arrived with a family of 3 members but departed adding countless,” Mr. Memon recounted.
He had a special word of thanks for the doctors of Apollo Hospitals apart from Mazhar Hussain of COVA and many others.
However, the bitter taste of rivalry between the two countries surfaced soon. He was asked to leave the country for “violating the visa norms” by attending the joint Independence Day celebrations of India and Pakistan hosted by COVA. “But, of course, I was not aware of such a law. All I wanted to do and all I did at the meeting was to thank India and Indian people for opening the prospects of a new life for my darling beloved daughter,” Mr. Memon said.
The notice was soon withdrawn, and he stayed on to celebrate Ramzan and to see his daughter through the surgery.
“May Almighty Allah bless you all and your generations may not see any disability or diseases,” was his prayer for all those who helped him. Now, Khadija is able to hear and showing daily progress, says Mr.Memon.
