Dialysis patient and life skills trainer vows “to fight to the last moment”

“I was in shock, didn’t even know how to cry,” says Abdullah Musthaq, 33, of the fateful day in May when he was told that both his kidneys had failed.

The tears did come, and with it concern about his four year old daughter. “I thought of who would take care of her after I’m gone, who would help her achieve things in life.”

These thoughts are no longer what preoccupy Musthaq. “The first day when I got the news was the only day when my mind vacillated, between hope and despair.”

Dressed in a black shirt, sitting in his modest sitting room, Musthaq is the epitome of an upbeat person. He is often asked how he manages to stay so positive in the face of such adversity. “I decided that I will do all it takes to get better, that I would fight until the last moment.”