Support Ibrahim's Fight Against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Help Give Ibrahim a Chance at a Brighter Future

Our son, Ibrahim Jafri, is an incredibly charming and bright 5-year-old boy. He’ll be turning six this July, and despite the many challenges life has thrown at him, he’s always smiling. He has a joyful, happy-go-lucky personality and a surprisingly sharp sense of humor for his age. Anyone who meets him instantly falls in love with his warmth, kindness, and curiosity.

But behind that infectious smile is a rare and heartbreaking condition that has changed our lives forever.

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Our Journey

When Ibrahim was born, everything seemed fine. But as he began to grow, we started noticing small signs that something wasn’t quite right. One of the first concerns was his delayed speech. While other children his age were beginning to talk and form words, Ibrahim remained mostly silent. We took him to a speech therapist when he was around two years old, and after nearly two years of consistent, intensive therapy, he finally began to speak — around age 3.5.

Today, he can speak very well, and we’re incredibly proud of how far he’s come. But it didn’t come easily — every word was earned through months of hard work, patience, and perseverance. At the time, we believed it was just a speech delay and didn’t imagine something more serious was happening in his body.

As he started school, it became more obvious that he was struggling in ways other children weren’t. We noticed that his physical development was behind. He had trouble balancing, frequently tripped while walking, and couldn’t climb stairs without help. One of the most worrying signs was that when he fell — which happened often — he couldn’t get up on his own. He would try to push himself up with all his strength, but his muscles just wouldn’t respond the way they should. Getting up from the floor required extra effort and often our assistance, which was very concerning for a child his age.

These weren’t just clumsy moments — they were early signs of something much more serious. He also began getting hurt from these falls. There were two particularly scary incidents — one at home and one at school — where he fell and needed stitches on his head and on his tongue. As parents, watching him go through this was heartbreaking and terrifying. We kept searching for answers, hoping it was something that therapy or time could fix.

Then, when Ibrahim was five years old, we finally received the diagnosis: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) — a progressive, genetic muscle-wasting disease that would change our lives forever.

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Living With Duchenne in Pakistan

The diagnosis was devastating. We had never heard of Duchenne before. In Pakistan, there is little to no awareness of this condition. Finding the right medical support has been extremely difficult. While the doctors here are qualified, many are not specialized in Duchenne care, and it has been disheartening to face a lack of empathy and guidance in such a critical time.

We often felt like we were begging for answers. We had to rely on our own research and reach out to international support groups, many of which are based outside Pakistan. Treatments that are frequently discussed in these groups — like gene therapy — are not even available here.

Despite all these challenges, we’re doing everything we can to make sure Ibrahim gets the best care possible. He’s currently on Prednisone, a steroid to help slow muscle degeneration, and he attends physiotherapy six days a week. He still walks, but we’ve noticed a visible decline in his mobility over the past year. He gets tired very easily, struggles to walk long distances, and can no longer stand up from the floor without help.

Recently, we’ve also noticed that he tilts his foot while walking, and it’s starting to form a callus — something that’s extremely painful for him and very frightening for us as parents. It’s a sign of how his muscles are changing, and a reminder that time is not on our side.

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Who Ibrahim Is

Ibrahim is not just brave — he is brilliant.

When we first began searching for answers, we took him for a psychological evaluation, and the results showed that he has a superior IQ compared to his peers. He reads well, observes deeply, and asks questions about the universe that sometimes leave us speechless. He talks about black holes, tornadoes, and natural disasters with such curiosity that it often feels like we’re speaking with a little scientist.

His dreams are big, and his heart is even bigger.

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Why We’re Asking for Help

We are raising funds to give Ibrahim a chance at gene therapy — Elevidys (costing $3.5M not covering hospital costs and any additional treatment) is the medication which needs to be provided to give him a new life. Without Elevidys Ibrahim will not have a chance at living a healthy, normal and long life and may only live up-to 5 more years according to statistics. one of the few promising treatments that can potentially slow or even halt the progression of Duchenne. But this treatment is only available abroad, and the costs are overwhelming — far beyond what we can manage as a middle-class family in Pakistan.

Ibrahim’s father runs a small business, and while we try our best to provide for him, this kind of treatment is simply out of reach without support.

We also need funds for:

• Future mobility aids

• Medical equipment and therapy

• Travel expenses for treatment abroad

• Continued daily physiotherapy and care

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Help Us Give Him a Future

Ibrahim has so much potential, and he deserves the chance to live a life full of hope, opportunity, and joy. He deserves to go to school, explore his curiosity, and chase the dreams that light up his eyes. We are doing everything in our power to support him — but we cannot do it alone.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small, you’ll be making a difference in our son’s life. And even if you can’t give, please consider sharing this campaign with your friends, family, or community.

From the bottom of our hearts — thank you for reading our story. Thank you for giving our Ibrahim a chance to keep smiling, keep dreaming, and keep shining.

With love and gratitude,

Ibrahim’s Parents