An Appeal for Nazneen F



An Appeal for Nazneen F. Dubash

17th February 2009

Dear All Concerned,

To refresh everyone’s memory, an appeal had gone out for Nazneen Dubash (9yrs. 8mths. old), daughter of Khushnuma and Farokh Dubash for help with her ‘Pulmonary Hypertension’ case, last year in July’2008, in the Jame Jamshed newspaper as well as via the net.

Nazneen is suffering from Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, which is a very rare disorder in which the arteries in the lungs are constricted, requiring the heart to pump harder. Over a period of time the heart overstrains, tires out and may fail prematurely. There is no known cure for the disease and without proper medication, patients get progressively symptomatic and have a limited lifespan. Treatment is only to relieve symptoms and in rare cases to slow the progression of the disease. If the disease does progress to a point where the symptoms are excessively severe, the patient may be considered for a heart-lung transplant after checking for suitability.

Nazneen was diagnosed as a moderate PPH patient after her Cardiac Catheterization on 1st July’2008 last year. She was then put on Sildenafil Citrate tablets (25mg. 3times a day) for the coming 6months. This, as advised by her doctor (Dr. Bharat Dalvi), is the first line of treatment in such cases. Her doctor stated that 6months later he will check her again and decide on the further course of treatment. Her checkup was carried out by Dr. Dalvi last month and he has declared that her condition is ‘Status Quo’, that is, the same.

He would now prefer that the treatment be taken up to a different level, which sadly, cannot be continued in India. The medications available here are very conventional, nor are there any testing facilities for testing the patient’s adaptability and response to the drugs. There are only a few hospitals in the USA & UK which specialize in the treatment of this condition. He has personally suggested the ‘Great Ormond Street Hospital & Institute of Child Health’, London, UK.

We have contacted the hospital and are awaiting details of a treatment plan, possible medication requirements and approximate cost of all of the above. Very approximately (quoting the doctor there in UK), a 7-10 days stay in hospital requiring only checkup procedures and diagnosis will cost approximately UK £15,000/-. Any medications or possible curative/symptom relieving procedures will be additional. Apart from this will be our (both parents) requirement of boarding and lodging during that time (One parent will have to stay back longer with her for follow-up). We estimate that our trip may cost us approximately UK £ 30,000 to 35,000/-. Any medications prescribed for her use will be additional and will be costly being the latest of it’s kind, maybe even requiring special import into India or Oman.

As me and my wife are not in a position to bear all these expenses on our own, we are requesting our fellow community brothers and sisters to help us out. For this purpose we have opened two bank accounts in the name of Nazneen Farokh Dubash, details of which are as follows;

a/c no. 3023518866 at Central Bank of India, Naigaum Branch, Mumbai, India &

a/c no. 1063 591472 066 at National Bank of Oman, Azaiba North Branch, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

I am also attaching the letter of Nazneen’s doctor who has been treating her to date.

I have sadly not yet received the ‘Treatment Plan’ & related costs from the hospital in UK. i will forward the same as soon as I do.

Yours truly,

Khushnuma & Farokh Dubash

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