Less than 200 miles separates the capital cities of Dakar, Senegal and Banjul, The Gambia on Africa’s west coast. Traffic regularly flows between the two communities, but for one young Gambian boy living with a bleeding disorder, the journey transformed his life thanks to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH).
Mutala Saidy is an energetic eight-year old boy from Banjul, The Gambia. He often plays outside with his friends after school. Just a short time ago, this was not the case when his knee began to swell after a bleed. He was rushed to the local hospital by his father Mafaal. Diagnosed with Hemophilia A, his father, with relief, believed it would only be a matter of time before his son’s condition improved. Instead, the swelling continued—as did Mutala’s pain. The doctor’s inability to relieve Mutala’s suffering caused Mafaal to grow more desperate to help his son. An internet search led him to WFH Medical Director Assad Haffar, who immediately suspected that Mutala might have been misdiagnosed. He asked Mafaal if it would be possible to bring his son to Dakar, Senegal.