E-Paper
He owes his mom’s life to FB strangers
When Lahore-based Yasin Arshad’s real-life friends abandoned him as he struggled for funds to treat his ailing mother, he created a Facebook page called 'Save My Mother's Life', and landed over Rs 26 lakh from friends he’d never met!
Networking always pays. Sometimes, in unexpected lakhs. When Lahore-based Yasin Arshad’s real-life friends abandoned him as he struggled for funds to treat his ailing mother, he created a Facebook page called 'Save My Mother's Life', and landed over Rs 26 lakh from friends he’d never met!
“I tried all ways to gather funds, but in vain. It was then that I created this page, hoping to draw attention from the government and the international community. I received an overwhelming response,” says Arshad, 24, who holds the social networking site in high regard.
His mother is now healing after undergoing a successful liver transplant at the Apollo hospital in Delhi. But, the journey wasn’t easy. “Many thought it was a money-making scam. So, I gave references and put up my mom’s medical reports to prove my authenticity,” he says.
It took just seven months for over 2,500 netizens and NGOs from all over the world to spring into action. “The word spread like wildfire and the maximum number of donors were from Facebook. I am glad that my virtual friends — strangers — trusted me,” he says.
