Brain-damaged girl, 10 is now breathing unaided five years after doctors tried to turn off her life support

A BRAIN-DAMAGED miss whose parents had to combat for her close to unrecorded is breathing without a ventilator, tin beryllium up, and enjoys watching cartoons 5 years aft doctors tried to crook disconnected her beingness support.  

Tafida Raqeeb was conscionable 5 erstwhile she suffered a bleed connected the encephalon and doctors told her household that she had conscionable days near to live.

In June she celebrated her 10th day surrounded by her household successful Italy wherever she is receiving attraction her mum Shelina Begum fought hard for her to receive.

Pictures from the enactment amusement a barroom with pictures of Tafida connected apical and peach balloons for the solemnisation successful the rehabilitation centre wherever she is being treated.  

Shelina told The Sun her small miss is making “slow dependable progress” and “will proceed to improve” each day.

Speaking astatine an lawsuit successful Westminster for The Tafida Raqeeb Foundation which supports different families of brain-damaged children, she said: “She's breathing independently. That's the astir important aspect.

“It means a batch to me. I mean I can't picture what I person gone done to get to wherever I americium now.

October 15 marked 5 years since Tafida’s transportation to Italy on a mercy formation aft a bitter ineligible conflict with the Royal London Hospital successful East London implicit whether to proceed treatment.

Shelina, 45, said: “Five years since we took a leap of religion successful the anticipation of giving her a accidental astatine life, and by God’s grace, she has not lone survived but besides shown america the spot and resilience of her spirit.

“These past 5 years person not been easy, but each azygous time has been a testament to Tafida’s bravery and the powerfulness of love, hope, and faith.

“When we look backmost astatine the travel we’ve been on, it is intolerable not to consciousness overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Tafida’s endurance is simply a reminder of however precious beingness is, and today, we observe not conscionable her life, but the emotion and unity that has kept america going done the darkest times.

“This travel has taught america to cherish each moment, to ne'er suffer hope, and to ever judge successful miracles.”

She continued:  “Doctors successful the UK gave Tafida nary hope, advising america to fto her go. But arsenic her mother, I could not judge that my child’s beingness was over.

“My household and I fought, not conscionable for her life, but for the close to proceed her attraction elsewhere, yet succeeding successful transferring her to Italy.

"There, she has been making dilatory but important progress. For the past 5 years, I person sacrificed everything—my career, my location successful England, and moments with my family—to enactment by her broadside astir the clock.”

Tafida's battle

In February 2019 five-year-old Tafida suffered catastrophic encephalon injuries astatine home aft complaining of a headache.

After being rushed to infirmary aft she collapsed, doctors recovered that she had a analyzable abnormal tangle of humor vessels which had caused a bleed connected the brain.

Her parents Shelina and Mohammed were told she had astatine astir a fortnight to live, and said they should retreat attraction and transportation her to palliative care.

Shelina launched a plea to let small Tafida to support warring with The Sun telling our readers: “We conscionable request to springiness her a chance”.

In October a justice ruled that she could beryllium transferred retired of the state for care, and she was flown to Gaslini Children’s Hospital, successful Genoa, Italy wherever her attraction continued.