Shifa A., 1

Shifa Akter is a gentle and innocent 8-month-old baby girl from Geneva Camp, Dhaka, whose fragile health has left her struggling to survive since birth. She lives with her parents and elderly grandmother, Maksuda Begum, in a small overcrowded shelter where her father, Md. Shamsuddin, works long hours as a day laborer earning only around 9,000 BDT per month, leaving the family unable to afford costly hospital treatment, oxygen support, medicines, and nutritional care after managing basic food and rent. Shifa’s severe pneumonia, blood infection, dangerously high fever, breathing difficulty, and inability to gain weight have made her extremely weak, causing constant fear and sleepless nights for her parents and family members. The family came to know about Helpster Charity through a medical outreach camp organized by Helpster Charity in Geneva Camp, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Doctors have warned that without urgent treatment and close medical care, Shifa’s severe infection and low oxygen level may rapidly become life-threatening, seriously affecting her growth, development, and chance of survival.

The patient Shifa Akter, aged 8 months, was admitted to Al-Manar Hospital on May 4, 2026, at 7:09 PM after presenting with a 104°F fever and severe respiratory distress. She was diagnosed with Pneumonia, septicemia, and Failure to Thrive, requiring a 6-day stay for intensive conservative treatment, including oxygen support and intravenous antibiotics. Following a steady improvement in her breathing and stability, she was discharged on May 10, 2026, with a comprehensive plan for continued medication and nutritional recovery. Shifa’s father, Md. Shamsuddin, and her family expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Al-Manar Hospital and Helpster Charity for providing the lifesaving support they could not have afforded on their own. The family is especially thankful to the Helpster volunteers whose outreach and coordination ensured Shifa received the urgent care necessary for her survival.

According to the doctors, Shifa Akter urgently needs hospitalization, antibiotic therapy, nebulization, oxygen support, and other supportive treatment to control the severe lung infection and improve her breathing. With timely treatment and close medical monitoring, her fever, cough, weakness, and low oxygen level are expected to improve gradually, helping her recover and gain strength. Doctors are carefully observing her condition because her low body weight and severe infection make her highly vulnerable to complications. However, if Shifa does not receive proper treatment on time, the infection may spread further, cause severe breathing failure, dangerously low oxygen levels, poor growth, and become life-threatening.