Save Rasheed: A Campaign to Save a Child from a Rare Genetic Disease

Over the past few hours, the hashtag #Save_Rasheed has spread exponentially on social media when the parents of Rasheed, Yasser Taha and Hoda Badr called out for help through their social media platforms to save their child from a rare and critical genetic disease.

As the parents were monitoring the growth of their child, Yasser and Hoda noticed a delay in the motor skills of Rasheed which has become more noticeable and worse over time. After many checkups with doctors and neurologists, Rasheed has got diagnosed with a rate genetic disorder known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is a genetic disease that affects the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and voluntary muscle movement. Symptoms appear at early childhood age where a child faces difficulty moving their muscles due to a loss of nerve cells in the spinal cord. SMA is neurological condition and a motor neuro disease that affects 1 in every 8,000 - 10,000 worldwide according to Genetics Home Reference.

Besides the criticality of this disorder, the only resort is an injection that is worth USD 2.1 million which is definitely above the capabilities of any family. Time is also a very critical factor as Rasheed needs to get the infection before he turns two, which means less than 4 months from today, to avoid complete loss of movement and to save his life.

Utilizing the power of social media, Rasheed’s father, Yasser Taha used his social media accounts to spread the word and seek help from the state and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. His message topped social media platforms and was widely spread which helped get his voice reach the media and the public.

Let’s all spread the word together to help #Save_Rasheed