A 32-year-old man from Jammu and Kashmir, India, and his 25-year-old wife Salima have been loving every moment with their new daughter. Ulfat, whose name means “love” in Urdu, was born naturally on November 10 at home in the Reasi area. He weighed a healthy 5 pounds and 5 ounces.
Latif quickly looked over his new daughter for any marks as soon as he got a hold of her. But the new parents were thrilled to see that their daughter was healthy and had no marks on her.Latif said, “I was really worried about the way my baby’s face looked.” It made me feel better to see that she was pretty and healthy. “Her face is so pretty it looks like an angel.”Latif said that his new daughter has made him happy after years of being unhappy because of his scar.
Latif has Neurofibromatosis, a skin disease that causes multiple flaps of skin to cover his whole face, leaving him almost faceless. “I want to forget about my past life,” he said. Having a child is a new part of my life, and I’m loving every minute of it. It’ll be fun, and now I’ll worry about her more than I do about myself. “I no longer care as much about myself.”
When his wife Salima found out she was going to have a baby, they worried a lot about whether Latif would pass on his illness. She married Latif in August 2008, even though she was born with only one foot. Latif had a hard time finding a wife for a long time. When he finally met Salima, they got along because they both had disabilities and finally decided to get married.
Latif said, “We wanted kids but were always too scared to have them.” We took a chance in the end, but I prayed the whole time I was pregnant that our child would be healthy. It didn’t matter to me if it was a boy or a girl; it just didn’t have to hide its face.It was a very special moment for me when I finally heard my daughter’s cries. My heart was full of joy.
Latif and Salima want more children, but they might not be able to because they are having money issues. “Thank God for giving me a beautiful daughter. We’d love to have more.” I don’t make enough money, though. There’s no way a parent would want their child to get sick, and they also don’t want them to lose money.
Without a job, Latif has to beg to support his family because he can’t see well enough to work. Srinagar is the main city of Kashmir. Every year, he goes there for a few months to work and save money to send home.
You don’t want to leave your daughter, but you have to. I have to leave in the spring. I need to make money to take care of my family, and this is the only way I can do it!
She told Latif that he has been a great husband and that she thinks he will also be a great dad.”I love being married to Latif no matter what he looks like,” she said. I don’t feel bad about being his wife. I like him the way he is. We accept that his face is God’s will and go on with our lives.
“Thank goodness it wasn’t the same wish for our daughter. Our baby is okay, thanks to the answer to our wishes. It’s not worth another minute of our time to worry about it now. We’re going to enjoy our lives.