A 16-month-old Jordanian girl, Katia Abu Al Saud, has arrived in Dubai to begin treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness.
Katia’s treatment, estimated to cost up to $2.4 million (Dh8.8 million), is being fully funded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, following an appeal from her mother, Nour Roudnahal.
Katia will receive treatment at Al Jalila Children’s Hospital, where doctors are conducting initial medical assessments before administering Zolgensma, a one-time gene therapy designed to treat SMA. The treatment was not available in Jordan, leaving the family seeking assistance abroad.
Katia was diagnosed after doctors noticed developmental and movement differences when she was six months old. Her family later pursued medical tests, followed by physiotherapy and medication.
Sheikh Mohammed’s intervention has given the family renewed hope as Katia begins specialised treatment in Dubai.
