In a desperate bid to save his nine-year-old son, Mohammad Kabir rushed him from one hospital to another, seeking treatment at four different facilities. Days passed with the child battling for life in intensive care. But despite every effort, the father could not save his son Nur Mohammad Arafat.
Arafat died last Friday while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Chittagong Maa-O-Shishu Hospital. Yet, before Kabir could come to terms with the loss and return home after burying his son, another nightmare unfolded. His 10-month-old younger son, Mohammad Abu Bakkar, was also fighting for his life in the ICU of the same hospital. He was placed on life support on Saturday morning.
According to family members, Arafat was a third-grade student at Hillview Public School in Panchlaish. Around 18 to 20 days ago, he developed a fever, accompanied by vomiting and cough. After a series of medical tests, doctors diagnosed him with measles, dengue and pneumonia.
Kabir said Arafat was first admitted to Southern Hospital, where he received treatment for four days. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to Marine City Hospital, where he spent two days in the ICU. He was then moved to Imperial Hospital for another four days of intensive care. However, his condition showed no signs of improvement.
Last Monday, Arafat was admitted to the ICU of Chittagong Maa-O-Shishu Hospital. He died there on Friday and was buried at Momenbagh graveyard in the city later that day.
But the family's ordeal was far from over. Kabir said his younger son Abu Bakkar had also contracted measles, dengue and pneumonia. The infant had been taken to three hospitals for intensive care, but his condition continued to deteriorate. On Saturday morning, doctors placed him on life support.
“I saw my younger son this morning. He is on life support, and the doctors cannot give me any assurance. They say they are doing everything they can. But I can see that my child can neither speak nor move. He is lying motionless. Only his heartbeat remains,” Kabir said.
“How much more can a father endure? I have just returned after burying one son. I cannot bear the thought of losing the other,” he added.
Professor Dr Didarul Alam, head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and a paediatric specialist at Chittagong Maa-O-Shishu Hospital, said both children had been brought to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
“Even so, we have not given up. We still have hope. When a child contracts dengue and measles simultaneously, multiple vital organs may fail to function properly. That is what has happened in Abu Bakkar’s case. As doctors, we are making every possible effort to save his life,” he said.
Kabir lives with his wife and two sons in a rented house in the city's Hillview area. He works as a goods loader at a private company, while his wife, Amena Begum, 29, is a homemaker.
The cost of treatment for both children has already exceeded Tk2.5 lakh to Tk3 lakh, Kabir said. After exhausting his savings, he borrowed money from relatives and colleagues to continue their treatment.
Now, the father finds himself caught between the unbearable grief of losing one son and the agonising uncertainty of whether he can save the other. Having exhausted his savings and borrowed beyond his means, he continues to hold on to hope as his youngest child battles for life in the ICU.
