Courage is not inherited. It is forged from the fire of life’s unexpected twists and turns.
For 8-year-old Komal Abdul Rahim, the moment her father was admitted to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) with a severe case of tuberculosis, a spark ignited. As her young eyes watched the doctors and nurses tenderly caring for her father, a passion to make her name in the field of healthcare grew within her.
When Komal’s whole world turned bleak after her father’s untimely demise, the Aga Khan Development Network offered her a lifeline in the form of high-quality, subsidised education. Although her profound intelligence remained undiscovered during school years, the world of medicine and healthcare intrigued her like nothing else. Recognising her natural passion, she applied to AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM) to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. AKU warmly welcomes those with open arms who possess the unique merit to revolutionise the world with their brilliant minds.
Komal recalls the moment she got the news of her admission to the AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery with a visible glow. “I felt like my future was sorted” she says.
With time, Komal unlocked a remarkable new trajectory for herself through her consistent excellence in every exam. Her hard work earned her the opportunity to work in Columbia for six weeks as part of an international internship programme for nursing students. It was there where she got introduced to the impactful path of nursing research which she would later realize had transformed her life altogether.
After returning to Pakistan to complete her degree, Komal began working at the clinical bedside at the AKUH, as part of her bond requirement. Fate had different plans for her, though. When COVID shook the world in 2019, rapidly taking shape of a global pandemic, Komal found herself on the front lines in the COVID ICU.
Initially, she felt scared of the novel infection. However, once she worked with COVID patients, her insightful mind began developing complex connections between their pre-existing conditions and the severity of their infections. Her desire to share her exquisite learnings with the public led her to Twitter.
As luck would have it, Dr Adil Haider, the dean of AKU medical college, came across her insights on Twitter. Impressed by the intellect and keen observations of this newly graduated nurse, he graciously offered Komal to help his team on a research project. At first, Komal was skeptical about transitioning from clinical bedside to research, but Dean Haider reassured her of her potential.
This marked the beginning of Komal’s inspiring journey in the field of research. Through remarkable achievements in the field of research using her exceptional critical thinking – a skill not often emphasised in nursing – Komal has made AKU-SONAM very proud.
Currently, Komal serves as a research fellow at the Centre of Excellence, Trauma and Emergencies at the AKUH.
