Asmaa's Story

As salaamu 'alaykum السلام عليكم ,

*In order to give readers a better understanding of this section, I seen fit to begin with our story.

*Asmaa is one of our nine children. She inspired us to add this portion to our website in hopes it would benefit families who may have similar situations. I prefer not to make this too lengthy and will explain the story with the parts that are necessary to share.

*Asmaa was born a healthy child with no ailments Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله . At the age of five months, upon the doctors orders it was time for her to be vaccinated. It was a normal doctor visit. We signed the vaccine sheets to grant permission for these shots. On this visit, she was given the vaccines in both thighs. The doctor explained the usual “rare” side effects that could occur such as fever and irritability etc.

*Everything was normal until early the next morning. Asmaa’s body began to roughly twitch and shake. I tried talking to her calling her name but she wouldn’t stop. I quickly called the ambulance and described what was going on which at this point we realized was a seizure. I had never witnessed this in my life.

*Needless to say, she was hospitalized for about two days in which the neurologists said sometimes this can happen after a vaccine due to a child becoming febrile or having a high fever. They informed me not to be alarmed because maybe it was only a “one-time” occurrence especially since she was so healthy Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله . If it happened again that’s when they would have to run tests. So we left the hospital not feeling too worried because of the way they described things.

*A month or so later, Asmaa had her second seizure and that’s when we knew it was serious. They ran every test medically possible. We knew that it was the vaccine she had that day because of the fact the very first seizure she had was immediately the next morning after being vaccinated. But we still allowed for every test to be ran just in case we overlooked something.

*As we concluded, doctors couldn’t find any medical reason why she began having seizures except that it was an “allergic reaction” to the vaccines she had. When we went to her primary pediatrician , she informed me that it was the “Dtap” immunization shot that caused this reaction as it has done to some other children. Although these reactions are rare as they always claim, it happens. And it’s not as rare as they say. It’s actually more common than they let on.

*From here on they diagnosed Asmaa with epilepsy because it was an every month occurrence that she would have seizures. Our second home was the hospital. They knew our family very well since we were always there. Eventually they pushed for us to put her on seizure medications and as parents we wanted to try everything possible to give her a better quality of life.

*After years of being on medications it hadn’t changed anything for the seizures. She often had them and it was very unpredictable. She was a happy active child but with seizures. Walking, talking, socializing normally in between these seizures and hospital stays. We just adapted to her situation as a family, supported her, kept giving her the medications and being current on her appointments. We also stopped vaccinating her. We knew that if one vaccine caused epilepsy, we didn’t want to find out what more would do so we never vaccinated her again.

*In August 2011 , Asmaa’s life changed drastically. Although she had epilepsy from the Dtap immunization shot since five months old, she had all her faculties Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله . She was admitted into the hospital for her regular episode of having a seizure but the difference this time was that, it wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t breath on her own. They ripped her shirt off and attached her to the respirator immediately. They gave her medication after medication , ten in total. Induced her into a coma to “put her brain to sleep and reset it” hoping this would stop the seizures. Two weeks straight the EG machine showed seizures she kept having silently in the brain.

*We prayed so hard and were advised to perform RuQyah upon her while she was in coma. Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله by the permission of Allaah الله the seizures stopped. But more problems were left behind as she had been on the respirator for two weeks straight which meant her throat had swollen around the tube and she was still unable to breath without the machine.

*The doctors prepared us for the worst case scenario which was that we could possibly lose her. They were also pushing for her to get a throat trache https://www.healthline.com/health/tracheostomy if she did make it. Now here it is we walked into the hospital with a normal bodied four year old child. Talking, walking, eating and breathing on her own. To hear that we may either leave without her (lose her) or come home with her as a vegetable was the hardest thing we’d ever experienced in our entire lives.

*We were at a crucial point in Asmaa’s life where as parents we had to decide to allow her to struggle and breath on her own without the machine to avoid a trache (which my husband had already decided we weren’t putting a trache in her throat) or to give her the trache surgery. So we told the doctors to take it out and let her try to breath on her own. The first attempt she didn’t do well so they put her back on the machine. They advised if it didn’t work a second time, the decision of surgery or no surgery MUST be made.

*I ran home…. I literally ran home and cried the hardest I’ve ever cried in my life. I fell into sujood and begged Allaah الله to save our daughters life. When we are in hardship, it is at this time we pour ourselves out to Allaah الله in a way we would never do if we hadn’t faced that hardship. I never poured myself to Allaah الله like that until that day.

*A few minutes later, my phone rang, it was the hospital…. They said “your daughter’s respirator tube came out her throat and we need you sign permission before we can put it back in.” I said “ I’m on my way, DO NOT PUT IT BACK IN!!!” I knew that it was a miracle from Allaah الله that the tube came out. They just freshly put it in the night before and it’s very difficult for it to just “slip out.” I knew that Allaah الله was saving Asmaa’s life. I wiped my tears and I ran by foot back to the hospital. My husband at work, children with grandma. We all rotated back and forth to the hospital to be sure someone was always there with Asmaa. Our house wasn’t far from the hospital which was blessing.

*When I arrived to the ICU, doctors surrounded Asmaa. I called my husband to get his support and direction. Asmaa was literally struggling for her life. Coughing up blood, phlegm , and gasping. I still persisted to leave her alone and let her breath on her own. By the permission of Allaah الله she kept struggling and breathing on her own. Eventually the doctors put the respirator machine away and she breathed without it Allaahu Akbar. (God is the greatest)

*After some days Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله it was clear Asmaa had strength enough to breath on her own. But there were still many obstacles left behind. She could no longer eat by mouth. So she was taking in IV fluids. Her muscles were so tense that her hands were in fists and her body would go into muscle spasms. Between the duration that the seizures lasted (two weeks straight) , the adult dosed medications they had her on, and the coma they induced, Asmaa’s body was all over the place and disabled.

*I remember her grandma coming to the hospital and just crying so hard begging Allaah الله to make it easy for Asmaa. It was torture seeing her go through pains and laying in a hospital bed unable to move, walk, talk etc.

*When it was concluded that a lot of Asmaa’s abilities were unable to work on their own, we were forced to get her G-tube https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/g-tube.html surgery. She couldn’t go home unable to eat by mouth. Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله the surgery was successful and it was finally time to take her home.

*Asmaa was hospitalized for two months. When we took her back to the same home she used to run and play in, things felt strange. She lay there just looking around. Unable to do what she used to and like us, probably just trying to figure out what’s going on.

*What happened was extremely traumatic and the most difficult situation our family has ever faced. Yet although it was not easy, after time we began to see an abundance of blessings and good come about. We thank Allaah الله for sparing Asmaa’s life and blessing us to hopefully gain so many rewards for being able to take care of her as a family everyday. Most people must go out and visit the sick to try and get these type of blessings but we are blessed enough to be able to care for her everyday.

*She’s taught us so much through this and Allaah الله has increased us in characteristics, emaan (faith) and knowledge that we never had before this. Qadr Allaah الله (it is the decree of Allaah الله) that all this happened and although it was sad and trying, there are blessings we can’t count that have emerged from all this.

*To date, Asmaa is a healthy young lady. She doesn’t have seizures anymore, she’s not on any medications , eats a holistic blendarized herbal diet via G-tube, alert, happy, and making progress in many areas Alhamdulillaah الحمد لله . We pray that Allaah الله restore Asmaa’s abilities and that this be a means of Jannah for us all Aameen. We’ve learned so many things through these years that we have to share it with others who are probably facing the same or similar situations.

*Follow us on our journey of progress In shaa Allaah ان شاء الله and please share. We hope it be an immense benefit to you and yours as it has been to us .

Baarak Allaahu Feekum بارك الله فيكم