Mohammed Mashud and his wife moved to NZ six years ago.
He is having to come to terms with the possibility that his wife, Sazada Akhter, may never walk again if she survives the horrific injuries she suffered in the terror attacks. She was shot twice, once in the abdomen and once in the chest, by the gunman at the Al Noor mosque. She is one of the most seriously injured victims following the shootings and has undergone several surgeries since. She remains in Christchurch Hospital.
The doctors have told him that if his wife survives her injuries, she will require a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
After hearing of her injuries, Mashud’s mother-in-law suffered a heart attack and was taken to a hospital in Bangladesh, where she lives.
Mashud said earlier that his wife was shot as she was fleeing the mosque. He never got inside himself, but saw the gunman enter ahead of him, and called his wife to warn her. He said she got out but didn't run far. "I called my wife again, ‘Where are you?’ She said she was standing near [our] car. I told her to run. The gunman again came outside ... he shot straight away and he got my wife."
She was rushed to hospital following the shootings but it was nearly 9pm that night before Mashud was able to find her. He has barely left her since, talking to her over and over again, hoping for a response. She needs more surgery, but isn't yet well enough. He said, "Other people I see, injured people, they're moving, talking. They open their eyes. But my wife doesn't open her eyes. No talking. There's nothing."
Christchurch mosque shooting victim facing life in a wheelchair if she survives injuries
We need to hear the stories of the victims. This is all about them. I only want to hear one thing about the shooter, and that is that he’ll be locked up for the rest of his life, and I hope he lives for a very, very long time.