Doctors in Abu Dhabi successfully performed life-saving surgery on a baby with a rare genetic condition aided by a transplant from the girl's pregnant grandmother.
Baby Fatima was only three months old when she received the transplant after being diagnosed with Krabbe disease, a condition that attacks brain cells and severely reduces life expectancy.
This was the first case of the disease treated in the UAE, according to officials from the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre (ADSCC).
The issue was compounded when both her grandmothers, who were positive matches for the bone marrow transplant, turned out to be pregnant, despite being in their forties.
"We started by testing the entire family to find a matching donor," said consultant hematologist Dr David Dennison.
"The parents were not a match, but among the several other relatives tested, only the fraternal and paternal grandmothers were found to be matching.
"They were also both pregnant at the time which was a surprising turn of events.
"These weren’t your conventional grandmothers; they were young, in their early forties and active."
The procedure took place in September but the details were kept under wraps until young Fatima's recovery was confirmed.
The transplant, he said, was key as it would create a lifelong supply of the enzyme needed for baby Fatima's body to protect her against the impact of Krabbe disease, which is said to only affect one out of every 100,000 people.
There is no cure, the only option is to slow its progression through a bone-marrow transplant.
"The next question was how far along they were in their pregnancies," said Dr Dennison.
No time to spare
The transplant needed to happen as soon as possible and especially before Fatima turned three months old, as the disease is generally said to be fatal in younger patients but its progression can be stalled if caught in time.
"The maternal grandmother was in her third trimester, so we collaborated with Corniche Hospital to deliver the baby at 37 weeks of pregnancy via C-section," said Dr Mansi Sachdev, consultant paediatric hematologist.
"The bone marrow collection happened at the same time of delivery.
"Corniche hospital doctors delivered the baby and then our ADSCC doctors extracted the bone marrow immediately after in the same operating theatre and under the same anaesthesia."
Fatima's grandmother, who asked not to be named, underwent the bone marrow transplant on the same day as giving birth and said the latter was more painful.
“I barely felt it when they extracted the bone marrow," she said.
"It felt so great to be able to help both my daughter and my granddaughter at the same time and, above all that, I had a newborn baby in my arms.
"It was a day of blessings.”
Fatima's mother, who also asked not to be named, said the family was initially resigned to having no choice but to travel abroad until the ADSCC stepped in.
“We all weren’t keen on travelling for treatment but were going to if it was a necessity," she said.
"I’m grateful that the treatment was available here in the UAE at ADSCC."
Dr Sachdev said the entire experience was an amazing journey for everyone involved.
“From the moment they came to finding the donor and then up to the actual transplant," she said.
"It was a journey of miracles that at one point felt like a movie."
Like all the best dramas there was a happy ending as well, with Fatima expected to lead a full and normal life.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
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Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
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Super heavyweight
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Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
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Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
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