Nafiah Fatima

Hello all and إسلام عليكم I just want to start off by saying I am BEYOND grateful for each and every one of you that has supported/prayed for my well being at any point throughout my journey of recovery post acid attack. As you all may know, the arrests were made in February and March of this year (2026) but the medical part isn’t over yet. After having multiple reconstructive procedures I still have mobility / range of motion issues which now require aesthetic / cosmetic procedures known as micro needling every month, physical therapy (still even after 5 years) , continuous doctors appointments for pain management, the cornea specialist and consultations for a stem cell transplant (to restore vision in my right eye) which will also most likely be another few thousand and more. Unfortunately expenses are very high with medical care, uber fees to get to and from appointments (because I can’t drive) and consistently spending hundred of dollars in co pays / psychiatric bills as maintenance for my mental and physical well being. Alongside that, unfortunately my anxiety, PTSD and insomnia have become a lot more active now and are causing me to require multiple therapy sessions during the week because I have to go to court almost every month and the attacker’s presence in court has been affecting me badly. My nervous system was so triggered the day he was arraigned and I saw him in court. Sadly, ever since then, going to court has been very difficult for me and has also caused me a lot more physical pain due to my body feeling triggered / not safe. I know that it’s been a long road and that I’ve been in worse predicaments with my health, but just knowing that all of this could’ve been prevented had I not went out with him at all… that thought eats me up. Hence what causes me to need more therapy so I can sleep at night. Also, I have been having to get upper endoscopy (with dilation) procedures ever since May of 2026 because since October of 2024 I have been struggling to eat but thought it was just anxiety making my throat tighten up, was losing weight and couldn’t figure out why. In March of this year, finally I was able to go in again for another barium swallow test and we found out there’s another stricture deeper in my throat (in my upper esophageal sphincter muscle) and now I’m back to getting dilations every 8-14 days, like I had to 5 years back when this first happened. Not sure if I mentioned that in my last update — I don’t think so because this was something that the doctors knew was there but they were dilating a little higher up, therefore the stricture below the area of the dilation was constricting my entire esophageal muscle no matter what they did. In the beginning, when we restarted these procedures, things were okay but then in July I had it dilated on 07/01 and was supposed to come in on 07/31 but unfortunately me having to wait 2 extra weeks caused my food intake/nutrition quality to decline so badly that until now I haven’t had ground turkey, easy over eggs, chicken breast, granola, sourdough bread, grains or anything of that sort. Forget about any kind of beef, lamb, or anything along those lines —absolutely not even trying it hence why I’m still losing weight no matter what I eat. Anyway, that’s how we ended up coming to the conclusion of doing the procedure every 8-14 days but then again anesthesia at that consistent rate is not healthy as we all know.. I just don’t have a choice. It’s very hard for me to feel grateful living like this even after these monsters were arrested because my expenses are so high but it’s necessary for my well being so I try to remind myself that I’m grateful for access to healthcare and doctors because not everyone has the access to medical care that we get in this country. Honestly though I can’t lie… all this just because I didn’t want to date that “man” is INSANE. I’m so angry about it still (it comes and goes) but please keep me in your prayers and anything you can do to share this, spread awareness or donate helps. Prayers are most appreciated in my situation especially if you can’t donate because as much as we think we’re invincible God is the Almighty, the one in control and the one with the plan. I try my best to remind myself that and take my own advice when I’m angry about my situation because even though I could’ve been in medical school pursuing my career, I also could’ve died that night and been gone forever. No matter what, I’m grateful for God that he saved me and I know that He has a master plan behind all of this that will unfold at the end of the tunnel. It’s not happening TO me, it’s happening FOR me as we’ve all heard people say before. Hard to learn that thought but very much powerful when you feel like life has become too much or when we find ourselves asking “why me?”. Like I said on the Tamron Hall Show — it’s not what happens to you it’s how you react and I stand on that. Sending so much love, light, prayers and gratitude to all of you reading this. Thank you again for all of your endless support, love, positivity and prayers. It means everything. May Allah bless you all. آمين ❤️