Maha’s US dream on hold

BRAVE: Maha is currently too ill to go to America.

Setback despite £70,000 support
A BRAVE three-year-old little girl’s life-changing operation — which has resulted in almost £70,000 being raised by well-wishers — has been put on devastating hold after she suffered further health problems.

The family of Maha Asghar, whose face is wasting away due to a rare degenerative condition, were hoping to fly to America for the pioneering procedure later this month.

But her mother has now said the Clarksfield battler will have to wait.

Maha’s appeal — which includes £6,000 raised from a sponsored walk from Oldham to Rochdale on Saturday — is now agonisingly close to the £70,000 target.

Mum, Shameem Ali, said: “Her condition is getting worse. We are taking each day as it comes, but at the moment we are not going to America.

“We were hoping to book flights on May 15, or around that date, but we just can’t at the moment. She is currently at home, but will be going to hospital later this week.”

The Roundthorn Primary School pupil experiences excruciating pain to her left ear due to bones not developing on the left hand side of her face. She also suffers terrible nosebleeds.

There are fears the condition — believed to affect one in a million children — could eventually affect her sight.

The operation, in Wisconsin, would involve the replacement of dying tissue on the left of Maha’s face with unaffected tissue from the right side — a procedure not available in the UK.

MAKE A DONATION: Donations can be paid directly into the “Maha’s Appeal” bank account with HSBC, sort code 40-35-26, account number 01837559.