Lahtha needs your help in her new battle after surviving cancer

Lahtha is a 48 year old woman who lives alone with no relatives. Both her parents passed away due to cancer and other illnesses; her father in 2009 and her mother in 2011. Several years later in 2018, Lahtha’s brother suffered a stroke paralysis, which compelled her to look after him for four years until he passed on.

Though Lahtha was previously diagnosed with breast cancer, she managed to successfully overcome it. Now, she struggles with a stomach infection that makes her weak and causes malabsorption of certain nutrients. Also, her iron and blood pressure are very low, which have led to difficulties in breathing. Meanwhile, Lahtha’s level of ferritin, a protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled manner, is very low at 2.7, where the normal range is 13 – 150. To rectify this iron deficiency, she needs to take two daily iron injections for five days per week (as pills do not work). She must go to her nearest medical clinic in order to purchase the medication and have it administered into her vein.

Last November, Lahtha had an MRI performed on her brain, as she was feeling dizzy. The scan revealed various spots in the brain, so her doctor prescribed certain medications to be taken on a monthly basis. In January of 2022, she will do another brain MRI as per the doctor’s request. The spots in Lahtha’s brain not only cause frequent dizziness, but also lead to cerebral blood clots as a result of poor oxygen absorption in the blood.  To exacerbate matters further, she injured her leg on two occasions several years ago and delayed the required physiotherapy sessions, which ultimately made her walking worse and deeply painful. She had surgery performed on her leg to improve her walking, but it was unsuccessful as her body is very weak. And today, she hops on one leg. 

Since November of 2021, Lahtha has been taking B12 injections once a week and will need to do so until January of 2022. Thereafter, she will need to conduct blood tests to check her B12 levels, iron levels, and blood pressure; the results will determine whether she needs to continue taking B12. 

The financial support she receives is very minimal and covers only basic needs, such as food. 

Lahtha requires a total of JD 865, as explained below:

Iron injections

-   Purpose: this medication will help raise the iron in her body and regulate her breathing

-   Frequency: Two injections daily; therefore, each box lasts 2.5 days.

-   Price: JD 16 JD per pack that contains 5 injections. Two boxes will cost JD 32 JD per week or JD 128 JD per month. A three month course will hopefully be secured. 

B12 injections

-   Price: JD 9 per pack that contains 5 injections (which is one complete course). 

Physiotherapy sessions for her leg

-   Unit price: JD 15 JD per session

-   Total price: 30 sessions will amount to JD 450

Blood tests (to be conducted in January 2022):

-   Total price: JD 22, which consists of: 

• Iron retention/absorption test: JD 15
• Iron level test: JD 4
• Blood pressure test: JD 3