Soliha's Sorrow at Losing Azqira

Soliha visits the grave of her daughter, Azqira Anindita Nuha, every morning. Two months short of her fourth-year anniversary, the girl was called home by the All-Mighty over a week ago due to the acute kidney injury.

KOMPAS/AGUIDO ADRI

Soliha, resident of Depok, West Java, accompanied by her niece Nai (3 years old) visited the grave of her daughter Azqira, Tuesday (25/10/2022). Azqira Anindita Nuha died over a week before due to infection of acute kidney injury.

It was Tuesday (10/25/2022). Soliha, a resident of Ratu Jaya, Cipayung, Depok city, West Java, felt so profoundly bereft that she visited her daughter’s grave three times. The grave was marked with a Quran-shaped tombstone and layered with white stones.

"Assalaamu’alaikum, dear. Here’s Mom, coming again. Three times today I have been here to see you. You're happy there, aren't you," Soliha (36) said. She came with Nai (3), her niece who Azqira (3,8) used to play with.

Soliha invited Nai to recite supplications before leaving the cemetery. "Honey, it’s time for Mom to leave. Tomorrow morning Mom will come back here. Miss you. It's been nine days I haven't seen you. Tonight, come to Mom's dream, won’t you. Assalaamu’alaikum, dear," she murmurs. Her tears fell to the ground of the grave.

It all began when she had a high fever up to 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday (6/10) at 03:00.

Azqira gasped her last breath on Sunday (16/10) at around 8:20 a.m. at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM), Central Jakarta.

It all began when she had a high fever up to 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday (6/10) at 03:00. Soliha provided first aid by sponging her daughter’s body and giving her water to drink. In addition to fever, Azqira also had a cold that made her breathe heavily.

When the fever did not go down, Soliha gave her paracetamol syrup. "Thank God, a few hours later the fever and cold eased. At 3 p.m. I again gave her the medicine. On Saturday at 3 a.m. my child vomited 15 times,” she said. Azqira was the youngest of four siblings.

On Sunday morning, Soliha took Azqira to a clinic and received pills and oral rehydration solutions (ORS) to relieve nausea, fever and colds. The doctor advised Soliha to take her child to the hospital if her condition did not improve.

At home, Azqira vomited again after having meal. Soliha found out that her child had not urinated for a while. She was then taken back to the hospital. "Thank God, the treatment was good. At that time, she received intensive care in the inpatient room,” recalled Soliha.

While in the hospital, Azqira was still vomiting and still suffering urinary retention from Saturday to Monday (10/10). Soon after the medical diagnosis confirmed an infection of acute kidney injury stage 3, she was immediately rushed into the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

KOMPAS/AGUIDO ADRI

Azqira's pink roller skates. Her mother, Soliha, will donate all of her late daughter belongings to others. Soliha comes into bitter and sorrowful memory whenever she sees those things.

“In the PICU, my daughter was disinclined to take foods all day. Her condition weakened, her memory lapsing and her response stuttering,” she said, adding that further medical checks revealed the illness had developed from stage three to six.

Soliha showed a video recording, on which Azqira was no longer able to respond to her mother's whispered calls despite her consciousness. On Tuesday (11/10) afternoon, Azqira was referred to the RSCM and entered to the PICU room.

“There, my child also received good treatment. My child had a biopsy,” said Soliha, referring to the laboratory examination on body tissue.

“Sunday at 8:20 [a.m.] my daughter passed away. It felt like [she] was deteriorating so fast. I still wonder why..."

However, Azqira's condition continued to deteriorate, even after undergoing a dialysis. From the results of the examination, she suffered severe damage of the brain, liver, lungs, heart and pancreas.

“Sunday at 8:20 [a.m.] my daughter passed away. It felt like [she] was deteriorating so fast. I still wonder why. It’s still perplexing that my child could get such an illness. How come [she developed] an acute kidney injury? What caused it, I still don't know until now,” she said, holding back her tears.

Medicinal syrup

She said the doctor whom she consulted due to her confusion told her that further laboratory examinations would be needed to find out the cause of the illness. She handed over the syrup she had given to her daughter. “I used it to take care of my child's diet and health,” she said, adding that she could hardly believe that the syrup was to blame for the illness.

She said the fever and cold-relieving syrup given to Azqira was the same medicine Soliha had always used for her three siblings. “My first child is now 18 years old, my second is 14 years old and my third is 9.5 years old. They used to take the same medicine as their sister for sickness during their infancy. I don't know why their sister got infected," she said.

At Soliha's house, not many of Azqira's belongings are left now. She decided to donate the items to those in need.

also read:

> President Appeals for Free Treatment

> Three Drugs Contain Dangerous Impurities

“I have given away the clothes, toys and dolls. I wouldn’t be strong enough to bear it when I see them. One doll was asked by her elder sister as a remembrance. There remain roller skates I am going to give to my niece. That was Azqira's favorite item. She was quick at learning to use the roller skates. She was able to roll smoothly,” Soliha said.

Based on national data, the number of children with acute kidney injuries has amounted to 255. As many as 143 of them have died.

Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) executive chairman Tulus Abadi urged the government and medical experts to immediately deal with cases of acute kidney injuries among children. Referring to the protection of children as part of collective responsibilities, Tulus lamented about the unknown cause of the rampant and deadly cases of the illness.

Soliha hopes that there will be an answer to her perplexity and that the number of victims can be reduced. It is the expectation of parents and the public in general.

This article was translated by Musthofid.