Muktamoni loses battle for life

Muktamoni who was diagnosed with a tumour in the blood vessels of her right hand died at her residence in Dakkhin Kamar Baisha village in Sadar upazila of Satkhira this morning.

Ibrahim Hossain, father of 12-year-old Muktamoni, said she breathed her last around 8:00 am at her residence.

"We took Muktamoni to her home on December 23 and since then she remained here," said Ibrahim.

Muktamoni drew the nation's attention with an abnormally large right arm.

Earlier on Saturday, her father said that Muktamoni's condition had been critical for the last few days.

"The infection in her hand has spread all over. Bad odor comes out from her hand when the bandage is removed for dressing," he said.

Muktamoni was under the observation of Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

She had been diagnosed with tumour in her blood vessels and underwent treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital from July 11 to December 22, last year.

On August 12, doctors at DMCH removed a three-kilogramme tumour from her arm after a biopsy showed the tumour in the artery of her hand.

The girl later underwent three more consecutive surgeries on her right arm on August 29, September 5, and October 8, last year.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took charges of her treatment after her story was reported in the media.

Muktamoni's parents noticed a tiny red bump on her right arm when she was one and a half years old. For the next four years, the bump grew so much that it began hampering her movement, said her father.