Help Us Shelter A Severely Sick DV Survivor

Last week, the Asiyah Women's Center received one of the most distressing cases we have ever encountered.

A social worker from Memorial Sloan Kettering contacted our center seeking shelter for a mother and her fourteen-year-old son, sultan. They had been subjected to physical abuse and forcibly abandoned by the mother's husband.

sultan, who is currently undergoing treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering, suffers from multiple severe medical conditions and physical impairments.

sultans medical situation is among the most severe we have ever come across. He has a class 2 deficiency leading to a severe combined immune deficiency, for which he has undergone two stem cell transplants. His various illnesses have left him reliant on an oxygen tube, unable to see, eat without a feeding tube, confined to a wheelchair, and incapable of using the bathroom independently.

Medical professionals expressed astonishment and described sultan’s survival to the age of 14 as nothing short of a "miracle." Doctors informed us that sultan lacks an immune system, rendering his body defenseless against infections. Even the most harmless bacteria, which would pose no threat to individuals with a functioning immune system, could potentially lead sultan to hospitalization or worse.

Disturbingly, a doctor went as far as stating that sultans condition is more severe than leukemia, as he lacks white blood cells entirely. A note from the social worker emphasized that sultan requires complex care to manage "severe graft-versus-host disease affecting multiple organ systems, including but not limited to his lungs, eyes, and skin/joints."

We are heartbroken that a child in this condition was put out onto the streets. Discovering that a child with such complex medical challenges had been abandoned and left to roam the streets in New York City, particularly given NYC's current alarming air pollution levels, filled us with deep concern.

We learned that the father's frustration with mounting hospital bills drove him to take this heart-wrenching action of throwing out the child into the streets of NYC.

Hospitals present a high-risk environment for sultan, with infections and diseases posing significant threats to his already fragile health. Second only to a hospital, being homeless in New York City is extremely dangerous for sultan.

Memorial Sloan Kettering has extended their support by permitting sultan and his mother to stay in the hospital temporarily, they will soon be compelled to vacate and left with no alternative but to seek refuge in a shelter like PATH.

The Asiyah Women's Center firmly believes that sultan and his mother urgently require a dedicated apartment to ensure their safety from potential infections. Consequently, we are actively raising funds to cover their rent for an entire year.

All contributions will be allocated toward securing suitable housing, providing essential sustenance, transportation, and addressing legal fees for sultan and his mother.