A girl living with an undiagnosed hole in her heart has been given a life-saving operation after the intervention of a cardiac specialist in Dubai.
Doctors had repeatedly missed a congenital heart defect Yasmin Hammad had lived with since birth, diagnosing her symptoms as asthma and other respiratory issues instead.
The 13-year-old in Motor City often complained of chest pains and breathlessness, but several hospital visits failed to detect the potentially life-threatening atrial septal defect.
It was annoying because it was harder for me to do kung fu with these symptoms
Yasmin Hammad
When she took up martial arts, Yasmin felt dizzy and breathless and her mother decided to try another specialist who finally diagnosed the problem.
She was immediately booked her in for emergency surgery with Dr Haysam Baho, an expert in paediatric cardiology at Saudi German Hospital in Dubai on September 30.
“When Yasmin was exercising or trying to do any kind of exertion she would get particularly out of breath,” said her mother, Katerina Hammad, who is from the Czech Republic.
“We took her to several hospitals for a check-up, but no doctor could find the reason why and said everything was OK.
“They said it was just muscle pain, but it was very uncomfortable for Yasmin as she was feeling dizzy and could not take deep breaths.
“When we went to Saudi German Hospital we asked for a new paediatrician to take a look, who did an ultrasound.
“He found two holes in her heart; there was one big, one small. It was a big shock for us.”
ASD is a birth defect that manifests as a hole in the wall that separates the heart’s upper chambers.
It is one of the most common congenital heart problems, with the holes varying in size.
During pregnancy, a baby’s heart will develop with several openings in its dividing wall, these usually close during pregnancy or after birth.
A hole that fails to close increases the amount of blood flow to the lungs, damaging blood vessels. If left untreated, the problem can lead to high blood pressure, with an added risk of stroke and heart failure.
Rare condition
According to the US Centres for Disease Control, about 13 of every 10,000 babies born have an ASD.
Although the causes are not fully understood, a combination of genetics and a change in chromosomes, paired with environmental factors during pregnancy, are thought to be the most likely.
Because newborns rarely show any obvious signs or symptoms, as in Yasmin’s case, ASD can be difficult to detect.
“When the doctors told us this condition was potentially life-threatening, that scared me even more,” Ms Hammad said.
“Yasmin’s diagnosis was overdue already because usually they discover this in year one or two as a baby, not late like this. Now she's almost 14.
“There were lots of black thoughts coming to my mind. I couldn’t stop crying or sleep because I wondered what if something went wrong in the surgery. Lots of bad things were coming to mind.”
Yasmin was booked in for surgery two days after the diagnosis. The 45-minute procedure involved surgeons going into her heart through a vein in her groin to repair the hole in her heart.
Just two hours later she was back with her parents and is recovering well.
Dr Adnan Munaf, a consultant paediatrician at Saudi German Hospital, made the diagnosis after checking an image of yasmin's heart.
“I immediately thought about a heart problem as the cause of her symptoms, so I undertook an echocardiogram, which is like an ultrasound of the heart,” Dr Munaf said.
“As soon as we did that, we found a big ASD.
"There's a lack of awareness about heart problems in children.
"People just can't imagine a child that young can have heart problems, which are more common in the older population, above 40.
“The reality is about 1 per cent of children here are born with these heart defects, but they are normally picked up at birth.
"The kind of heart defect Yasmin has is very commonly missed during pre-pregnancy screening and can be hard to spot. It is lucky she's not really come to harm.”
Dizzy spells
Yasmin must take anti-platelet medication for six months because there is a risk of blood clots forming, but she should otherwise make a full recovery.
“Sometimes I still feel a bit dizzy, but I couldn't breathe properly before so I do feel much better now,” said Yasmin, who is back in school and wants to be a vet one day.
“It was annoying because it was harder for me to do kung fu with these symptoms.
“I was kind of scared, as I was worried about my life.
“The doctors were good and they were kind. They explained everything to me how the procedure was going to go.
“My friends at school were also worried for me, they're glad that I'm fine now.”
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Dubai Bling season three
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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