Abu Dhabi: Declared Dead Five Times, Boy Lives On

• Electrocuted and pronounced dead, two-year-old Zakir wins the battle for survival much to his father's joy

By Rayeesa Absal for Emirates Evening Post

Abu Dhabi, Sep 16: His story is nothing short of a miracle. Two-year-old Zakir was pronounced dead by five doctors after he suffered a serious electric shock in his house on March 19.  Moved by his father's pleas, a sicth doctor examined the child, and found there was still life in him.

Zakir's father, A P Sharafudeen can never forget that fateful day when his wife Suby was bathing Zakir or Munna, as he is affectionately called, at around 8.30 am.  Hearing a sudden noise in the bathroom, Sharafudeen rushed to investigate, only to find his wife sprawled on the floor and Munna lying in the bathtub with the shower on him.

"Realising they had suffered an electric shock, I shut off the main power and picked Munna up.  I could feel no heart beat abd his pupils were not visible.  I exerted pressure on his chest, but there was no response.  In a panic, I just bundled him into my arms and ran outside on the road," says Sharafudeen.

Out of the blue, a car pulled up and the driver asked Sharafudeen to get in.  "I requested him to drive me to Rashid Hospital.  I kept asking God to have mercy on my son.  I pleaded that I be given the chance to perform pilgrimage to the Holy city of Makkah holding my son's hand."

Reaching the hospital was a harrowing experience given Dubai's traffic chaos.  "The driver of the car calmed me down and advised me to give artificial respiration to Munna, all the time assuring me that he would get to the hospital at the earliest." says Sharafudeen.  "On reaching the hospital's emergency section, I was told my son was dead.  I just could not take it and kept urging the doctors to check my son again.  Five doctors examined him, one after the other, and gave me the same reply," he adds.

Then, as if sent from heaven, came another doctor, who ignoring the words of the first five doctors, went on to examine Zakir.  After an excruciating 20 minutes, Sharafudeen was told that his son was alive.

In the next three hours, Zakir was taken to Al Wasl Hospital and put on a ventilator.  It was only 36 hours later that he finally opened his eyes.  "Looking into my eyes, tears rolled down his face," recalls Sharafudeen.

Three days later, the life support systems were removed, but Zakir had to be administered food and medicene through his nose.

"The doctors informed us that Munna might never be able to lead a normal life again. One even suggested that a feeding tube be attached to his stomach.  So, I decided to take my son to India for further treatment," says Sharafudeen.

On April 3, Munna was taken to India and eventually admitted to a hospital in Bangalore, where he recovered some of his body movements.  His eyes started moving and he could be fed through his mouth, but one side of his body was left paralysed.

"I heard about an ayurvedic physician in Kerala from an acquiantance and took him there.  After six weeks of intensive treatment, Munna began moving, although his health was poor.  We came back to the UAE on August 21," says Sharafudeen.

Today, after five months of treatment, Munna is back to beinga playful child, but there are some questions Sharafudeen knows he will never be able to answer.

What prompted him to run on the road with Zakir when he had two cars in the house ? Why did he go to Rashid Hospital and that his son be re-examined ?  Most of all, who was the good Samaritan driver ?

Sharafudeen and his wife only know what happened was the work of God.  "His (Zakir's) new life is God's gift to us." he says.