Residents in Dari Magura area of Magura town have come together in celebrating the homecoming of the miracle child Suraiya, who beat all odds to survive bullet wounds she received while still in her mother’s womb.
Almost a month after the eight-months-pregnant Nazma was rushed to the hospital with bullet wounds on her abdomen, she returned home on Thursday night with a healthy baby in her arms.
Surrounded by her close relatives and hundreds of neighbours who prayed for the baby’s wellbeing throughout the ordeal, it was a scene of joy the locality had never seen before.
“Suraiya is not only the child of a single mother, she is the baby of hundreds of mothers,” said Nazma’s neighbour Duli Begum who brought a hand-stitched blanket and frocks she made herself as gifts for the baby she had never seen before. “I have made these because of the motherly feelings I have for Suraiya,” Duli said.
Asma Khatun, another neighbour, said: “We never thought we shall get back Suraiya alive. I prayed to God for her recovery and God has responded to my prayers.”
Suraiya’s elder sister Sumaiya, a student of class four, had been forbidden by her mother to hold little Suraiya in her arms as the doctors have restricted everyone from touching the baby yet. However, she could not be stopped from showing her affection to Suraiya as she stood firm beside her baby sister, reluctant to let the infant out of sight for a second.
The baby’s mother, Nazma, said the entire ordeal of being shot at still caused her to get panicked at times. However, she added that the events that occurred afterwards had shown her that the world still had many good-hearted people who had dedicated themselves for the betterment of other human beings.
Nazma also thanked the many people who helped her family to overcome the challenges with their well wishes and financial assistance.
She thanked the local police superintendent for a Tk20,000 donation, the local pharmacy for the free medicine, and the local doctors for their efficient treatment and a successful critical surgery.
Nazma further expressed her gratitude to the doctors at DMCH for their free treatment, and thanked the health minister for personally taking care of the needs of the family.
On July 23, Suraiya was hit by bullets while still in her mother’s womb when Nazma was shot in the abdomen during a clash between two factions of Jubo League in Magura.
One of the bullets went through the unborn baby’s right shoulder and another damaged her right eye. She was born after a three-hour caesarean section at Magura General Hospital.
Suraiya was later brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, from where she was finally released on Thursday afternoon.