25/04/2025
A message from Karen:
Shock. Anger. Fear. Guilt. Heartbreak.
These are just some of the emotions I felt after my first conversation with Shelina Begum, the mother behind the Tafida Raqeeb Foundation.
Her daughter, Tafida, was just five when she suffered a brain injury. When doctors advised ending life-sustaining treatment, her parents disagreed. Instead of support, they faced a legal battle, fighting simply for the right to seek care abroad.
After a lengthy court case, the judge ruled in their favour. Tafida was transferred to Italy, where, six years on, she’s still receiving care and rehabilitation.
What they were told was impossible, turned out to be possible.
I’d read and heard her story, and others over the years. Like many, I’d felt empathy, real empathy, for families in these unimaginable situations. But then… life moves on. We turn the page. We change the channel. We hope it never happens to us.
Then I met Shelina.
When you sit across from someone like her and hear the detail, not filtered through headlines, the medical decisions, the legal complexities, the quiet strength it took to keep going, you can’t move on.
You realise this isn’t a news story.
It’s a lived reality.
One thing Shelina said has really stayed with me:
“To deal with everything, I had to step back from being Tafida’s mother… and become her advocate. It was the only way I could stay focused rather than fall apart.”
That hit hard. Because no parent should be forced to set aside their role as a mother or father just to be heard.
I’ve been working (pro bono) with the Foundation to help bring their campaign to life, calling for change in how decisions are made in children’s critical care.
We were at the House of Lords a few weeks ago to present our reform proposals. Soon, we’ll do the same in the Commons.
But we need more voices. We need strength in numbers.
I’m not writing this just as a marketing consultant. I’m writing as a mother. As someone who believes in fairness, compassion and the truth that no parent should be excluded from decisions about their child’s care.
This isn’t abstract policy. These are families in crisis, often overnight, then told their voices no longer matter.
The system is capable of compassion. But right now, it’s not consistent. Not collaborative. And too often, not kind.
We’re calling for:
• Legal safeguards so parents are treated as partners, not obstacles
• Mediation before court
• Access to second opinions
• Investment in paediatric rehab
• A commitment to ensure no child is denied care because their parents dared to disagree
This isn’t about blame. It’s about doing better.
Please read more, sign the petition, and share this post.
https://tr-foundation.org/protectparentalrights
Thank you.
When a child is seriously ill, no parent should be silenced or excluded from decisions about their care. But right now in the UK, parents can be shut out of
