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Humanitarian gesture can do wonders for the ailing girl

DUBAI — When Arlene Eugenio suddenly collapsed on January 22, little did her mother know that her 19-year-old bubbly daughter may never be the same ever again.

“Arlene came to the UAE two years ago and was working as a nanny for an Arab family when the incident happened,” says Nora, her mother who flew in from the Philippines upon hearing the news of her daughter’s hospitalisation.

On January 22, Arlene suddenly collapsed and went into a comatose state. She was rushed to the emergency section at a nearby hospital by her employer.

Doctors at the hospital diagnosed her as suffering from aneurysm (brain haemorrhage). “When she was brought in, she was in a comatose state with low blood pressure. We incubated her and carried out a CT scan which showed that a major artery in her brain had burst. Therefore, an immediate surgery was carried out in which an endovascular coil (treatment done through blood vessels) was placed in her brain,” explained the doctor treating Arlene.

“She is conscious and out of danger now, but the damage has been done and she is in a semi-paraplegic (paralytic) state. She may recover in due course of time through physiotherapy,” said the doctor.

For Nora, who has left her country and her three other children to be with her daughter in Dubai, the cost of treatment is unaffordable. “Arlene’s sponsor is kind enough and has already paid Dh175,000 towards the treatment and is also ready to pay for her ticket back home. But I still have to clear hospital bills amounting to approximately Dh50,000 before I can take Arlene back home,” explains Nora.