A Father’s Cry for Help: Save My 5-Year-Old Son Saif Before Time Runs Out

My name is Mahmoud. I am a father from Iraq, carrying a pain no parent should ever have to bear. This is the story of my little boy, Saif — only five years old — a child whose smile lights up our home, yet whose body is slowly failing him.

Saif has been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) — a cruel, progressive genetic disease that steals a child’s strength piece by piece. First comes the loss of running… then walking… and eventually even the simple act of breathing becomes a struggle. Most children with DMD lose the ability to walk before the age of ten. Many never reach adulthood.

As a father, you never imagine you will one day be racing against time to save your child’s future — but here I am, holding on to hope before it slips away.

I have done everything within my power. I gathered every medical report, every genetic test, and every required approval. I stood before every official door, requesting help, pleading for support.

We sought every possible path in Iraq — government and non-government — but we reached a dead end.

The treatment exists, but it is not approved or supported in Iraq, no matter how urgent the case. And while we wait, Saif’s symptoms continue to worsen. Every week, every month, the disease grows more aggressive. The medications that can slow DMD are most effective between the ages of four and six.

Saif is five years old now. We are standing in a small, closing window where treatment can still protect his future.

Doctors at Medcare Women & Children Hospital in Dubai have confirmed that Saif is eligible for Elevidys, a breakthrough gene therapy that offers real hope — hope to slow the disease, hope to preserve his mobility, and hope to protect the years my son still has ahead of him.

But hope comes at a cost too heavy for us to bear alone.

Today, I am reaching out to the world — to people who believe every child deserves a chance. Every contribution, no matter how small, becomes part of Saif’s lifeline. All funds raised will go directly toward the cost of Elevidys gene therapy and essential medical care.

If donating is not possible, sharing Saif’s story may be the act that brings us closer to saving his future.

From a father’s trembling heart — thank you.

Official medical records and documents are available upon request for anyone who wishes to verify Saif’s condition and treatment requirements. For further information or document verification please contact me

#SaveSaif