Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 101
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.
Sana is only one and a half year-old and is suffering from Liver Cancer. It is not even imaginable how such a little one can get such a terrible disease. Four months from now, Sana was fine, and her elder sister was holding her playing. Sana fell and she had a bruise near ribs. Her mother massaged the area to relieve her pain.
Sana had continuous fever and pain on affected area and in few days, there was a lump. Her parents took her to Rawalpindi hospital, where she was treated initially, and then referred to Lahore Children hospital for further diagnosis and treatment. Sana was admitted in early January and within few days she was diagnosed with “Hepatoblastoma”. Both parents are with Sana in hospital, her mother does not know language here, only father can speak Urdu to some extent. They hardly managed to stay in hospital and when the doctors confirmed that Sana had hepatoblastoma, a type of liver cancer, and that she’d need major surgery to remove the tumor, they were shocked, it was the worst day of their life.
Hepatoblastoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver. It is the most common type of childhood liver cancer and usually affects children younger than 3 years of age.
Treatment options for newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma are: Combination chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove the tumor; or first surgery to remove the tumor, followed by combination chemotherapy to eliminate tumor cells.
Sana’s parents had never heard of hepatoblastoma before Sana was diagnosed, and as they learned more about it, the more things surprised them. They were worried about long treatment and frightened about follow up surgery. How would an 18-month-old bear a surgery, so many fears and concerns.
She is on treatment since January 2023, has completed her four chemotherapy cycles, three more to go before her surgery. The little soul is bearing chemotherapy so far. May Allah grant her strength to complete all courses and go through surgery well.
The family belongs to Kashmir, they have seven children and Sana is the youngest. Her father works as a laborer in the locality, and he lost his job with the disease of his daughter. Too much to handle for a poor and uneducated family. Still, they are doing their best.
Her father is left with no money, he is new in this city and worried about his six children who are alone in hometown. No one knows when life gets this difficult.
Sana, now one and half years old, has spent too much of her young life in the hospital, and too many of her childhood experiences have been touched by cancer and who knows how much she will have to spend more as Hepatoblastoma is a resilient cancer – it tends to find ways to hide from treatments and come back when treatment is over. But prayers and kindness can do wonders.
Let’s pray for the early and complete recovery of Sana, may she recover soon and able to smile again. Aameen. May her parents be able to smoothly complete her treatment.
Lots of prayers for Sana and her family. May all the sick children recover soon, and their diseases never come back and may they live normal, healthy life again. Aameen
Note: Names have been changed to protect identity
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