DUBAI - Arabstoday Â
Akash Shah lying in coma at Rashid Hospital as his mother Alka Shah look on.
DUBAI - Arabstoday
A young graphic artist working in Dubai has slipped into a coma following an unexplained illness that has resulted in multiple organ failure.As 27-year-old Akash
Shah, an employee of a private graphic design firm in Dubai, battles for life in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Rashid Hospital, his desperate family and friends are hoping for a miracle.
‘‘How could this happen? He was so full of life. I can\'t bear to see him like this,\'\' said his tearful mother Alka Shah, who has flown down from their hometown Ahmedabad in western India.
‘‘It\'s a shame if we don\'t fight for this young life and let him wither away,\'\' said a message appealing for prayer and help on a Facebook support campaign started by his friends, who describe Akash as bright, lively and caring.
Akash, who was rushed to Rashid Hospital on May 14, suffered four bouts of vomiting the previous night, when he felt acutely weak, followed by a temporary crippling of his hands, said his uncle Parag Sheth, who lives in Sharjah.
He had visited the hospital a day earlier with similar symptoms but returned home a few hours later as his vital signs and examination remained \"unremarkable\".
The hospital\'s medical report dated May 23 says he had ‘‘no history of significant medical illnesses except for tinnitus and occasional dizzy spells\'\' since April for which he has been treated at Rashid Hospital, besides other hospitals in India.
His relatives said Akash was given a clean chit, although doctors had put him on medication for symptomatic relief for suspected vertigo.
However, on May 14, after the repeated bouts of vomiting, his health suddenly deteriorated, resulting in acute damage to the heart, brain, liver, kidney and other essential organs. He has been on the life support system ever since, with the bills mounting every day. ‘‘He has already run up a bill of over Dh40,000,\'\' said his granduncle Ramesh Shah.
‘‘Akash was the only earning member of our family. His father is retired and he has a brother who is just starting college,\'\' said Alka Shah. ‘‘I just hope he recovers,\'\' said the brother Deep Shah, recalling that the last time he spoke to Akash was when he informed him about getting a distinction in his Class XII exams. ‘‘He was so happy to hear that,\'\' he said.
Appealing for help, the desperate family said they do not have enough resources to pay the hospital bills and take Akash to India.