Meet Muhammad

Little Muhammad is doing well. His visits are only every six months now. At the beginning of his health journey, he would visit Victoria Hospital’s Paediatric Outpatient Department (POPD) every month, and then every three months. His mom, Shafieka, is very happy with his progress.

Because of the medication Muhammad was on, it delayed his potty training slightly, and Shafieka is eager to support her son as he finds his natural developmental rhythm now that he no longer requires the earlier dosages of his medication.

Monitoring and adapting to health challenges and complications as children develop means that paediatric departments must maintain regular contact with families to ensure that healthcare is optimised. They often rely on community links to help parents and guardians feel connected to the facilities and the system in general.

Parents and guardians often go to great lengths to get their children to their appointments, even in dire circumstances.

Shafieka and Muhammad were referred to Victoria Hospital from Retreat Day Hospital two years ago when Muhammad had his first asthmatic episode. She’s very content with the support and help they have received there, even though she knows that there may be a little wait in the cramped POPD area. She doesn’t mind. Shafieka knows about the importance of being patient; it is where she finds stillness and allows her to interact with others and reminds her how necessary it is to be more tolerant every day.

Shafieka is one of those people who make the community stronger; the kind who will feed a neighbour or arrange transport for another mother to get her child to the hospital. Shafieka knows about charity. But it’s the way she talks about it that shows true understanding.

“It’s just something to bless people with.”

Shafieka is part of a community that organizes drives to raise funds or supplies for those in need. She does this from her home, with her friends and even at work. She lives this generosity every day. She lives her patience, her humbleness, her love and her light. She lives her faith every day. And in doing that she shares hope and blessings wherever she goes.

Muhammad is growing beautifully, but it took great patience to allow both mother and child to cope with the challenges and the concern of Muhammad’s healing process. Shafieka urges other moms to be patient. She stresses three points: be patient, be present, and pray!

“That’s the thing about it. We always just pray about it,” she smiles. Her gratitude broadens her smile. Muhammad is doing well. That was all she ever wanted.