News
Cairo: How a once homeless cat brings joy to life
April 14, 2008, 5:41PM MT
By Sharon St. Joan
A warrior mother adopts Boosy
A warrior mother adopts Boosy
By Ahmed Diab, Best Friends Network
This is the story of a mother; like any mother her joy in life would be to see her babies walk and play; however, this couldn’t be the case in this family. Zeinab, the mother, has two sons who suffer from an incurable disease called "Duchene Muscular Dystrophy." It’s an inherited disease that affect boys only and which causes progressive degeneration of the body's muscle mass. The disease begins at birth and children with this disease are bedridden by the age of ten and unable to walk or move freely; sadly they pass away in their late teens from respiratory failure or cardiac weakness.
Zeinab struggled to find a cure, but the word cure is inapplicable, so she knows her main goal now is relative adjustment for her helpless boys. She accepted her destiny that she has to see her kids suffer slowly; her worst nightmare is that she will wake up one day to find that one of her boys has passed way.
Zeinab lives in a two bedroom apartment in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of cairo. She has no time to work, for it's a 24 hour job taking care of her two young boys, Mustafa and Mahmoud. Though they might look like two skeletal frames, their eyes are full of life. Mustafa is 16--the younger one, inquisitive with sparking, hazel eyes, eager to know and who enjoys teasing his mother. Mahmood is the gentle one, very quiet, who loves meditating and reading. Unfortunately, Mahmood and Mustafa have been living on their bed for the last eight years now.
You might think, “What does this have to do with animals?” Well, along came a black and white cat called Boosy, the clown bringing joy and laughter to all the family members. Boosy is spunky, by nature playful and curious, jumping from lap to lap and demanding attention from all.
Boosy was rescued by Zeinab when she was only eight weeks old, after she was found helpless in the middle of the street starving for care and food. This cat, according to Zeinab, has literally given a purpose to her family.
Boosy is the only friend Mustafa and Mahmood have; they love her dearly and that makes life somewhat more appealing to them, Boosy made it her duty to keep them company all the time, a job that no human can do. Zeinab thinks of Boosy as her daughter, giving her hope and lessening the struggling she and her boys are going through,
"Without such hope, I could never keep going; hope is all I have," said Zeinab. Zeinab loves how Boosy is not fussy about anything; she even eats rice and vegetables. Zeinab knows that it’s not very healthy for her and that Boosy needs better food, vaccinations and medical check- ups, but she confessed that her financial situation is very bad. All her monthly income is barely sufficient to cover basic needs and buying medication for her kids.
Zeinab talked about how Boosy feels what she is going through and how when she feels tired or sad, Boosy jumps on her lap and hugs her neck and gives her kisses; she is truly attached to her.
Individuals like these are role models for all of us, and it's proof, especially here in Egypt, that having a pet is not just for the rich or for those with no problems, as most Egyptians believe, and that compassion and kindness know no social class or race.
People like Zeinab are the type of people the AWARE Organization is helping by encouraging them and thanking them for their extraordinary compassion.
God Bless you, Zeinab, and thank you, little Boosy.
Photo: Ahmed Diab
What you can do
To read more about the organization, AWARE, please go to:
http://network.bestfriends.org/News/Admin/21503.html