- Shah Gul Mazar, from Pakistani, has life-threatening Hirschsprung’s disease
- The condition causes a build-up of faeces inside his bowel, making his belly swell
- He has suffered with condition since birth but his family cannot afford surgery
- The boy’s lack of treatment is causing a severe infection of his large bowel
- Without the operation soon, Shah has an 80% chance of dying from the disease
- ‘We are worried about his life as his belly is not stopping growing’, he says
- Hopes raised after a good samaritan has offered to pay for the surgery
Stephen Matthews
and
Claudia Tanner For Mailonline
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Dramatic visuals show the plight of a nine-year-old Pakistani boy whose belly has swelled up to the size of a beach ball.
Shah Gul Mazari, from a remote village in the south of the country, suffers from Hirschsprung’s disease – a build-up of faeces inside his bowel.
It has caused his stomach to grow rapidly at an abnormal rate, and has made it hard for his parents to find clothes that can fit him.
He also doesn’t go to school as his father, Niaz Mazari, and mother, Mian Zohran, fear he would be relentlessly bullied by other students for his mass.
Without surgery soon, Shah has just a 20 per cent chance of survival.
But Mr Mazari, who earns less than £3 a day, says the family cannot afford medical treatment for their son.
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Shah Gul Mazari suffers from Hirschsprung’s disease, which is more common in boys than girls
The condition affects the rectum and a variable length of the large bowel above it
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Having been left for so long without the right treatment, Shah appears to be suffering from a very serious complication of the disease called enterocolitis, an infection of the large bowel.
His father, 45, said: ‘We had taken him to a government hospital where medicines for his treatment were given for free.
‘But there was no improvement in his condition and with every passing day the size of his abdomen was only increasing.
‘I wanted him to get advance treatment but could not afford to take him to a city hospital or a private clinic as I lack the crucial funds.
‘For years we have remained dependent on the free medicines given by doctors at the government hospital.
‘But now we are worried about his life as his belly is not stopping growing.’
Shah could die without urgent surgery after he has developed complications
The boy has an infection of the large bowel
Failed surgery
Shah, who is his parents’ third child, appeared a ‘normal’ healthy baby when he was born.
However, his life changed once he turned one and his stomach began to bloat. He cried incessantly and couldn’t drink milk properly.
He had surgery but it failed to work, according to his family.
‘We took him to local doctors who diagnosed him with some disease and operated on him to remove a part of his colon,’ said Mr Mazari, a father of five.
‘But after few weeks of the surgery, my son started feeling the pain again and within few months, his belly again started swelling.’
In Hirschsprung’s disease – which affects one in every 5,000 babies – the nerves that control the movement of faeces are missing from a section at the end of the bowel, which means poo can build up and form a blockage.
The condition is congenital and usually causes visually noticeable symptoms from birth, although sometimes it is not obvious until a child is a little older.
Some babies who develop enterocolitis like Shah need to have stoma surgery – where a small on the abdomen is created to divert the flow of faeces into a pouch.
Hope
But thankfully, as the word of the child’s life-threatening condition spread locally, a Karachi-based police officer has offered to pay for his treatment.
Good samaritan Fida Hussain Mastoi said: ‘I feel very bad about the kid. I spoke to his parents and told them to bring the child to Karachi so that I can take him to Jinnah Hospital. I will bear all his expenses here in Karachi.’
With Mastoi’s offer, Shah’s parents are hopeful that their son can have the life-saving surgery and lead a normal life.
‘We are hopeful that our son can have a good future if he get treated for his condition at a big hospital. We hope God listen to our prayers soon.’
HIRSCHSPRUNG’S DISEASE
Hirschsprung’s disease is a rare condition that causes poo to become stuck in the bowels. It mainly affects babies and young children.
It means the nerves that control the movement of faeces are missing from a section at the end of the bowel, which means poo can build up and form a blockage.
This can cause severe constipation, and occasionally lead to a serious bowel infection called enterocolitis if it’s not identified and treated early on.
Symptoms of Hirschsprung’s disease are usually noticeable from soon after a baby is born, although occasionally they’re not obvious until a child is a year or two old.
Signs of the condition in a baby include:
- Failing to pass meconium within 48 hours – the dark, tar-like poo that healthy babies pass soon after being born
- A swollen belly
- Vomiting green fluid (bile)
It’s not clear what causes the disease, but it’s not thought to be caused by anything the mother did while she was pregnant. It sometimes run in families.
All children with Hirschsprung’s disease will need surgery.
Source: NHS Choices
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