Warriors and Survivors - 27

 Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 27

I am Rukh Yusuf, Clinical Pharmacist, also specialized in Total Parenteral Nutrition and Bone Marrow Transplant. I have been working in Pediatric Oncology unit of a public hospital for several years. The mission of this blog is to bring to you the real-life stories of child patients suffering from cancer. Cancer is still a difficult disease to handle and treat. However, when it strikes the children, some so young that they cannot even speak, their agony is beyond expression and words. Let us pray especially for children suffering from cancer for early and complete remission. May Allah shower His Merciful Blessings upon them. Aameen.

 

Lately, I have realized that among our warriors and survivors, many children who used to cry out of fear or pain, had mostly become silent. Their suffering made them silent, they are mostly silently sad. I believe they have become so used to bearing pain that they hardly cry anymore.  So I was surprised and worried today to see a 14 year old girl crying so loudly. She was crying out of pain. I asked why she was weeping like younger child? She told while crying that she wanted to go home and meet her dad.

 

I asked her that her chemo is done and she may be discharged within a day or two, but she did not stop crying and on further asking she told that she is having body pain. She was constantly weeping. I felt helpless as I could not cheer her up.

 

Mishaal is grade nine student and she was healthy until this Ramadan when she started feeling pain in foot and legs, soon it was difficult for her to walk.

She was put on multivitamins and supplements and physician recommended to improve diet and prescribe calcium supplements but nothing worked and her pain did not get better.

 

Mishaal was taken to tertiary care adult hospital in Lahore where after number of diagnostic tests she was diagnosed as case of Osteosarcoma. Later she was referred to pediatric hospital for treatment.  There, it was diagnosed that her disease was spreading i.e. she had malignant Osteosarcoma.  

 

She belongs to an educated family of Lahore, her father has a good business and other siblings are students. She is the eldest among all. Other siblings are worried and afraid of  her disease.

 

Her treatment started in September and she had completed her one cycle and second chemotherapy cycle is going on.

 

Her mother told that Mishaal is very sensitive child, she is even worried for other children in unit. She feels their pain and concerned about other children. As per her mother it was a terrible news of cancer diagnosis of their beloved daughter.

 

Her mother said, “ I was numb, scared and wanted to wake up from this nightmare but it was only beginning”.  Her mother  had to stay strong for Mishaal as she didn’t fully understand what was happening to her. She said, ‘I want to cry loudly but I have to stay strong for my daughter’.

Treatment is very difficult for Mishaal’s weak body. During the first protocol she was constantly spiking temperatures and pain, so she had to be admitted to hospital for a minimum of 48 hours. These 48 hours often quickly turned into a week-long stay and  Mishaal was not ready to stay in hospital as along with her condition she took stress of other children’s diseases.

Mishaal’s treatment consists of 6 months of intense chemotherapy and then 12 months of ‘maintenance' treatment. She is too weak to bear this intense therapy and too sensitive for such immense suffering of her and other children’s around.

That is why her parents have not informed her about the details of her disease, but it will be impossible to hide her disease with her as she is grown up and educated child.

The situation for her, for doctors and for her family is too difficult to handle. Mishaal needs lots and lots of prayers for her ease and recovery, it’s painful for her even to lie down.

I still have her crying picture in my mind. May Allah ease her and grant permanent cure to her. Aameen