A brave young woman living with a rare illness is forced to live near a hospital because the veins in her face could rupture and become life-threatening at any time.
Australian Fatimah Mohamed, 24, was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation – a tangle of veins and arteries known also as an AVM – when she was just 10 years old.
She first saw a doctor about the issue after after teachers noticed unusual swelling on the left side of her face.
Although AVM is usually found in the brain or spinal cord, Ms Mohamed’s is in her left upper jaw, leading into her eye.
Fatimah Mohamed, 24, was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of veins and arteries, known also as an AVM, when she was 10 years old
Ms Mohamed (pictured) can never be too far from a hospital because the AVM could rupture and become life-threatening at any time
For the past 14 years she’s had to live with continuous ruptures on her face and each time it happens she must undergo surgery to stop the bleeding.
At the time of writing she’s endured 82 surgeries.
‘It only gives me like maybe one, two to three months of relief and then it will find new passages new growth ways, find form new blood vessels and rupture again,’ she told A Current Affair.
An emotional Ms Mohamed recalled a rupture in 2015 which led to a 16-hour marathon surgery to save her life.
‘I was turning blue … they called my family and they pretty much told them like expect the worst, we don’t know what’s going to happen,’ she said.
The doctors removed part of her cheekbone and teeth, which left her with permanent scarring.
Since then, Ms Mohamed has documented her journey on TikTok to raise awareness in the hope of finding a cure.
‘It feels like being in a nightmare that you can’t wake up from,’ she said.
Her mother and siblings, who have been there every step of the way, are at breaking point.
But Ms Mohamed is still hopeful that help is out there.
‘I still believe that no matter what I’m going through right now, to be brave and to stick through it,’ she said.
Reverend Bill Crews and his charitable foundation has been supporting Ms Mohamed, saying he was struck by her bravery when they first met last year.
According to Ms Mohamed, him supporting her while she shares her story has been ‘life-changing’.
‘No matter what you’re going through in life to always stay positive and to always be brave and to always see light at the end of the tunnel,’ she said.
‘Because I believe that after every hardship there is ease.’
To date, Ms Mohamed (pictured) has had 82 surgeries
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