It’s heart wrenching when some one’s only
son is diagnosed with a horrible disease like cancer, and at such a tender age.
Wahaj is only four and half years old and the poor soul is having cancer. He is
the only son of his parents and has two sisters. He belongs to middle class
family of Sialkot. Today’s story is mostly described by his mother as Wahaj is
too young to express his feelings.
Wahaj started having constipation with
abdominal distention and fever few months back. Upon check up and subsequent
investigations, Wahaj was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma, a very aggressive
cancer, at the age of four in April 2021.
Her mother says, at that point in time,
within seconds, our life shattered and fell apart. No one can ever prepare you for the pain and
total devastation when you are told: “I’m really sorry but your son has
cancer”.
She
said, ‘I fell to the floor screaming whilst my husband stood listening to our
consultant in total shock with tears’. Since then our cancer journey started as
we were admitted to oncology Ward at Children’s hospital, for the proper
diagnosis and start of his very intensive chemotherapy. ‘The emotions we pass
through are so very hard to describe and we shed constant tears’.
In the ward, we found our strength with support from the
other inspirational families and their brave children, and also the incredible staff helping us. She said, ‘we could never have prepared ourselves for how ill
our precious little boy was to become before getting better’. The temperatures, the hair loss, loss of control
of his bladder and bowels, his facial palsy, the sickness, infections and so much more. The mucositis he suffered with was horrific, he had
ulcers all over his mouth and down throughout his body. He couldn’t talk,
couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink, couldn’t open his mouth, couldn’t move and he
must have been in terrible pain and felt so ill. It was heart-breaking, and we were helpless. He was hooked up to so many things to help him
through alongside his chemotherapy, anti-sickness, high dose IV morphine, high
dose IV paracetamol, IV antibiotics.
Wahaj’s
two chemotherapy cycles completed, he was sent home and asked to appear before
start of next cycle. He went through further chemotherapy cycles with similar
experience, and no doubt it was not easy not only for Wahaj but for all of them.
His
mother said, ‘I don’t think Wahaj fully understands what he has been through as
he is still so young and was diagnosed at the age of three years. We have a box
of things dedicated to his journey and one day when he is old enough, we will
show Wahaj and tell him his story. Every day we tell him how brave he is, he is
our superhero and that he is capable of achieving anything in life.
Wahaj
is so loving, never stops smiling and is so full of fun and energy. At such an
early age, he has learned so many important lessons about life.
His
new chemo cycle has started and now he enjoys going to hospital to see everyone
who made him better and his ward friends. The hospital is a second home and his
safe place but still sometimes when he is in pain, he asks to go home to meet
his father.
While
the world continues to battle the pandemic, Wahaj and family are feeling very
fortunate that they are all going to home and staying safe after completing
another cycle of chemotherapy. His treatment continues and his mother is
hopeful and says, “We are looking forward to the brighter times ahead of us and
creating lot more memories with our son, our very own real life superhero”.
We pray for the ease and complete
recovery of Wahaj. Aameen
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