JAKARTA — Maghfira, a mother of 2 (two) children from Bireuen Regency, Aceh Province, who has been living in Dompet Dhuafa ‘s Sehati Shelter on Jalan Batu Ampar III No. 18, RT. 04/04, Batu Ampar, Kramat Jati District, East Jakarta City. Maghfira lives in Sehati Shelter to accompany her child, Azalea Fahira (3.5) who is undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).
“At first I was confused, why my child’s weight did not increase, even though he ate a lot, drank milk willingly, breast milk was also full,” said Maghfirah starting her story. Her concern for her baby prompted her to have Azalea examined by a local doctor. It turned out that the examination results showed Azalea had CHD since the age of 9 (nine) months.
He then added that previously he had thought hard about bringing Unya (Azalea’s favorite call) to Jakarta, but due to financial constraints Unya could only be brought to Jakarta at the age of 2 (two) years. The reason Unya was brought to Jakarta was because hospitals in Aceh and Medan were not adequate to treat the disease that Unya suffered from.
During his stay at Shelter Sehati, Unya received medical treatment in accordance with his illness, “Staying here (Shelter Sehati) before the first (surgery). I entered here in April 2022, after the operation I had time to return to Aceh but only 2 (two) weeks back there was another problem in Unya’s chest so I returned to Jakarta for the second action and don’t know how long it will last. Here, it is very helpful and very relieving,” she continued.
Dompet Dhuafa itself currently has two shelters around Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) called Shelter Sehati which is intended for patients and companions who come from outside the area. There Maghfirah and Unya get a place to stay and also fulfill all their needs. “Alhamdulillah, we are greatly helped by Shelter Sehati, every week we are given basic necessities such as eggs, bread, sardines, rice, and oil for basic needs,” explained Maghfirah when met at Shelter Sehati on Friday (21/10/2022).
Like other children his age, Unya often feels bored and wants to go home. Heart-wrenching questions are often asked to his mother. “He is now more fussy because there are no small children here, Unya is now the smallest here. When other patients go home or see an airplane, that’s what makes her the most fussy. If she sees an airplane, she always wants to go home. Especially if there are people who go home, the question is why are we always here, why mommy never takes me home, sister wants to go home too, sister wants to meet sister. That’s a question that is often asked and quite makes me sad. But maybe it’s because he’s getting tired of going back and forth to the hospital,” she said.
But Maghfirah feels very grateful for the existence of Shelter Sehati, because living in a shelter is not like when in the community “living in Shelter Sehati is all free starting from electricity, water, everyone gets 1 (one) room, if in the community every week there is still a fee,” she said.
“I express my gratitude to Shelter Sehati and also Dompet Dhuafa, I who come from the area do not know where to go, if you want to stay in a room it is also expensive. But with the existence of Shelter Sehati like this we are very, very helped, “concluded Maghfirah.
Now, Unya is still waiting for the third action and must do control once a week. Hopefully Unya will soon be healthy and able to go home and reunite with his family in Aceh. Maghfirah and Azalea’s story is only one of the stories of Healthy Fighters in Dompet Dhuafa’s Sehati Shelter. There are many other beneficiaries with various stories of struggle. (Dompet Dhuafa / Arlen / Muhaitsam)