A heartbroken father-of-two young boys said they would be “waiting for him” after they both tragically died of the same heart condition in the space of just 19 months.
Isa and Ismail Shabir, died of cardiomyopathy, leaving their parents and two other brothers shattered by the devastating loss.
The brothers were diagnosed in 2015 but lived happy, normal lives, attending schools and enjoying hobbies until Isa became ill in 2019.
Isa underwent treatment in hospital but died at home in April 2020, aged just 11, according to Birmingham Live.
However as the family mourned his death, 14-year-old Ismail fell ill two months later with the same disease and lost his battle in November 2021.
Speaking publicly for the first time, their dad Kashif Shabir, 39, from Washwood Heath, spoke of his family’s unimaginable grief and said he hoped everyone would remember his ‘funny and joyful’ sons in their hearts and memories.
He said: “I believe when it’s my turn, they will be waiting for me.
“My home isn’t the same. I couldn’t imagine we would be going through this because when they were born, they were fine.
“They were really funny and joyful. They were getting into life - Isa wanted to be a pilot, Ismail was into gadgets.”
Mr Shabir is married to Saria, 39, and has two other sons; Armaan, 11 and 17-year-old Haris, both of whom are fit and well. He said Isa and Ismail both had neuro-muscular problems and were then diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, in 2015.
They took medicine for their blood pressure and both attended Timberley Academy in Shard End with Ismail going on to study at the Wilson Stuart Academy in Erdington. Mr Shabir, a self-employed car trader, said: “They were diagnosed in 2015 but they were fine.
“They were going to school, they were getting on with their lives. Isa was into his toy aeroplanes and loved going to school. We used to take him to a place in Shard End where we could plane spot.
“Ismail was the same, into his computer games. He was more into gadgets. Ismail liked playing cricket and he went to boxing classes for a while.”
Then in November 2019, their family life changed forever as Isa started suffering from a shortness of breath and feeling hot at night. Mr Shabir said: “We took him to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he underwent scans and was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure all of a sudden.
“His heart wasn’t functioning properly at all. They put him on IV medication called Milrinone and went home. He was under palliative care and died at home in April 2020.
“We were devastated. We were still grieving for Isa when Ismail started complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains in June 2020.
“We took him to the children’s hospital and the same doctor scanned him and told him to take Milrinone. He went home and he would go to school once a week but then was too ill. He died in November 2021.
“My children were the first children in the country to come home with this medicine and we appreciate the consultant for letting us do that. They both died within 19 months of each other. We are so heartbroken, we are trying to get on but it’s not the same anymore.
“Their brothers miss them, they were all very close. Losing one son was very difficult but I have lost two within 19 months of each other.
Isa and Ismail are buried in the same row at Thimblemill Cemetery. His father added: We believe they will be waiting for us in heaven. In the meantime, I want them to be remembered by everybody.”
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