8:00pm Tuesday 24th August 2010
By Jon Livesey
A TEENAGER from Pendle who has an incurable liver disorder appeared in a TV documentary last night to highlight the health risks involved when cousins marry and have children together.
Seventeen-year-old student Azmat Mahmood and his mother Perveen, who live in Nelson, are featured in Channel 4’s Dispatches programme called ‘When Cousins Marry’.
The programme looks at whether a child is more likely to suffer from genetic abnormalities if their parents are first cousins.
Azmat was diagnosed with propionic acidemia when he was 15-months-old and was one of the youngest children to undergo a liver transplant.
In the documentary he spoke to presenter Tazeen Ahmad about how the illness has effected him.
The teenager was seen taking up to 11 different types of medication at once.
And he described how it causes severe pains throughout his body and restricts how active he can be.
His mother, who owns a baby and school uniform shop, in Scotland Road, spoke of her sorrow at having to see her son suffer, but refused to condemn first cousins who have children together.
She said: “I am protective over Azmat. He is more like, I would say, a 14-year-old than an 18-year-old, mentally you know.
"He comes with me to work so I can keep and eye on him.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with first cousin marriages because it’s part of our culture and the norm really.
"Having said that it did put me off having more to my ex-husband because I could not go through it again - having another child with the same problem.
“The thing is it isn’t guaranteed to happen. It’s high risk - about one-in-four. But three could be ok - my daughter is fine.”
The documentary shows Azmat and his mother travel to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for an appointment, where they are told there is no obvious cure for the teenager’s condition.
At the end of the programme, Azmat describes his hopes for the future.
He said: “My dream is to get a good job and build something of myself, get married and have a family of my own.
“It’s important to think about who you are going to marry. Marrying in the family is not always a good idea.”
The programme can be viewed on Channel 4’s website - click on the link below.
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