This is Karim’s story, shared by mum Kamila. Karim was born in Scunthorpe and was blue-lighted to Hull and then Leeds after a congenital heart defect was discovered.
Children’s Heart Surgery Fund supports the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, helping provide the care and equipment needed throughout his treatment.
“Throughout my pregnancy I was closely monitored because of my type 1 diabetes, having weekly scans from 26 weeks until I gave birth. Every time I was reassured that my baby boy was healthy.
“On the 4th April at 10:14am, our beautiful boy Karim was born. He cried for just five seconds… and then suddenly everything went silent.
“I remember lying there asking my husband, ‘Is he okay? Why haven’t they shown him to me?’ Within minutes the room filled with doctors. I was told he needed 100% oxygen and had to be taken straight to NICU.
“Because I had a C-section, I didn’t get to see my baby until eight hours after he was born, when the Embrace team briefly brought him to me before transferring him to Hull. I only had 20 minutes with him and, with all the wires covering his tiny body, the only thing I could gently touch was his little nose. Then he was taken away. That night my newborn baby and I were in two different cities – the hardest night of my life.
“24 hours after giving birth, I finally got to kiss my son for the first time, but he still couldn’t breathe on his own. Soon after, we were told he needed to be transferred again to Leeds after doctors found an abnormality with his heart.
“At Leeds Children’s Hospital we were told Karim had a rare heart condition called TAPVD and ASD. At just three days old, he needed open heart surgery the next morning – his only chance of survival. Hearing those words broke my heart, but I put my full trust in Allah SWT. When I met Karim’s surgeon, Dr Pelella, I felt a sense of calm and hope.
“Karim’s recovery was a rollercoaster, but he proved to be a true warrior. His surgery was successful thanks to the incredible surgeon and the amazing teams at PICU L47 and Ward L51. I will forever be grateful to every doctor and nurse who helped save my baby’s life.
“During this time we stayed at Eckersley House so we could stay close to Karim during the hardest time of our lives. Being surrounded by other families going through similar journeys reminded me that we weren’t alone.
“Today I look at my baby boy with nothing but pride. He is my little fighter, and I will forever be proud of him.
“The amount of support I got from Children’s Heart Surgery Fund during this extremely difficult period felt like a sense of calmness in the midst of all the chaos. I’m eternally grateful for all the support I have received from them and couldn’t have done survived the way I did without them!”
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