Doctors advised the Bengali mother of a very ill baby boy to let him die, but she is battling to give him a chance at life.

Ismaeel Islam was born with Down syndrome and experienced significant brain damage at the age of five weeks due to oxygen starvation and heart failure.

He is unable to breathe without medical assistance and has been on a ventilator at the Royal London Hospital in east London ever since.

The incident at five weeks had seriously damaged his brain, according to an MRI exam.

His parents, Sharmin Akther, 37, and Azharul Islam, 39, were informed by doctors that their son's chances of recovery are minimal.

Consultants want to remove him from the life-sustaining ventilator, which might cause his death in a matter of hours, even though he is just five months old.

Sharmin, his mother, told The Sun that she will fight the hospital's decision at every turn because she is determined to do everything in her power to keep him alive.

Hospital trusts sought court orders to contest the family's wishes in similar circumstances, such as the sad Charlie Gard and Tafida Raqeeb cases.

"Even though there is a slim chance that he could recover, I don't want him to miss that slim chance," Sharmin told The Sun. However, removing him from the ventilator will result in his death.

"He requires more time, more time to heal. I am aware that it takes time and is not magic.

“We're not expecting that he can just walk and talk like a normal baby. But he should have the right to live as well. It's a human right to live.

“Me, as a mum, I will do everything to look after my child. I cannot let my child die just because there's a chance of him having a disability.”

Sharmin reports that tiny Ismaeel can open his eyes and closes them when he sleeps, which is better than when the damage first occurred. Sharmin spends every day with Ismaeel.

She claimed that when she is close to him, he can hear her voice and reacts to her.

His favourite stuffed animal is an octopus, which he holds in his arms.

In order to install a different kind of ventilator, Sharmin and her husband now want doctors to conduct a tracheostomy, which involves inserting a tube into his windpipe.

According to Sharmin, that would enable him to receive treatment at home and have times when he tries breathing without the equipment.

“I don’t want to go to court and have to fight this, but I will do whatever it takes to save his life,” Sharmin said.

“All I want is to save my baby, I don’t want to lose him.”

Ismaeel was born via caesarean section on September 28 last year, weighing just 1lb 15oz.

Despite being premature and having Down syndrome, his mother, Sharmin, said doctors initially assured her he was a healthy and active baby.

He was placed in a neonatal intensive care unit before being moved to a specialist unit with less intensive care.

However, on November 3, everything changed when doctors called Sharmin at 11:45 pm to inform her that Ismaeel had collapsed.

She and her husband, Azharul, rushed to the hospital, where they found doctors surrounding their son as he suffered seizures.

The cause of his cardiac arrest remains unknown, and an investigation is ongoing.

Struggling to breathe, Ismaeel was intubated, and an MRI two days later revealed his brain had been deprived of oxygen.

Between November and December, he was removed from the ventilator three times, but each time he could only breathe independently for a few hours before requiring intubation again.

A second MRI later confirmed his brain damage was worse than initially thought.

Doctors informed his parents that he had no prospect of recovery as he would never be able to breathe on his own.

At the end of December, they were told he was not a candidate for a tracheotomy.

By January, doctors suggested permanently removing him from the ventilator, which Sharmin believes would mean his death.

A second opinion from Great Ormond Street Hospital confirmed the initial findings—Ismaeel had no chance of recovery.

Since then, Sharmin has requested a meeting with the Royal London Hospital’s ethics committee to explore other options.

She is set to attend mediation meetings but insists she will never consent to removing her son from life support.

With three older children aged 10, 12, and 16, she cannot be at the hospital around the clock.

“I have to come home, but my soul is connected to him. I can’t think of anything else. I love him so much. I don’t want him to die,” she said.

“Before his brain injury, when he was in special care, I could pick him up and cuddle him. He loved cuddles and would show he wanted to be held.

“We couldn’t wait to bring him home, and now I don’t know if that will happen. Every day is uncertain.”

A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust said: "Our thoughts are with Ismaeel's family during this incredibly difficult time."

"We will continue to provide the highest level of care and support for both Ismaeel and his loved ones as we work together to make decisions that are in his best interests."

Source-Daily Sun