A difficult journey ends with a smile

A difficult journey ends with a smile

The first smile of Bana Nizar Hassan, a nine-year-old Sudanese girl, after her surgery at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, is a moment her father will never forget. Since birth, Bana has suffered from a complete failure of her left kidney and atrophy of her right kidney – a condition that affects one in 1,000 children.

Bana spent the first years of her life enduring all kinds of treatments and medications until it was finally decided that a kidney transplant would save her life.

After a long search for a donor and completing the necessary tests, Bana has become the first child to undergo kidney transplant surgery in Dubai, thanks to Al Jalila Foundation’s ‘Farah’ program.

Her case not only represented a significant medical achievement, but also reflected a model of cooperation between nine government and private health entities that worked in parallel to ensure a smooth and quick kidney transplant was carried out within the critical 12-hour window after the donor had passed away in Abu Dhabi.

Today, thanks to the surgery, Bana is able to lead a normal and healthy life.

Watch Bana’s Story of Hope here.