Warriors and Survivors - 106

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 106

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. 

This is four years old Sania. She doesn't know it yet, but in a short while she will be diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare malignant liver cancer that affects, on average, 1 in a million children... and her life will never be the same. Her parents, feel privileged to tell me her story.

“On a fated September day, a playful tickling of her tummy revealed a mass in her abdomen which was finally confirmed by an ultrasound. Fearing the worst, we contacted Children's Cancer Hospital where the next diagnostic studies (MRI, blood tests, biopsy) were recommended and finally scheduled, as there are queues for all diagnostics test inside hospital due to patients load.”

Sania was diagnosed with stage III hepatoblastoma on Oct. 1, 2022. All the clinicians were very concerned; her parents were devastated. The news was her tumor could not be removed by surgery. It was decided after a meeting of health practitioners that Sania would have to receive chemotherapy prior to even discussing whether she would qualify for tumor resection or a liver transplant.

Mother told, “One thing we knew was that she was in the right place, under the vigilant care of multidisciplinary experts. Having just relocated to Lahore in the previous months, we were still uncertain of our surroundings, challenges were there, but one thing we knew to be true amid the crisis: Children’s Hospital was the right choice for her treatment”.

Sania received four cycles of chemotherapy to reduce the size of her tumor while her oncologists, surgeon, radiologists coordinated their efforts to determine the best surgical approach and lay the groundwork for a possible surgery. Sania underwent a successful complete surgical resection of her tumor on Jan. 6, 2023. 

“Today, Sania is in remission. The darkest clouds have dissipated, and we hope to continue to watch little soul thrive and develop. The experience of treating Sania’s hepatoblastoma has not only taught us to be the best parents we can be but has also brought out the absolute best in most people we have met in hospital during her treatment.” Said her father.

Her mother said, “We pray this never happens to any parent and their child but say to those in a similar situation to trust Allah and communicate with your health providers. We were graced with the very best healthcare team. Most of them will say that they were just doing their job, unaware that in so doing they have changed our lives and touched our family in indescribable ways. Allah has given Sania another chance at life. May Allah bless all who do good for others”.

Let’s pray for the complete recovery of Sania, may her disease never come back. Aameen. May her parents always see her healthy growth.

Lots of prayers for Sania and his 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

Warriors and Survivors - 105

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 105

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. 

“It was just an ordinary day two years from now. Winter season was coming to an end, and the family had such an incident that their lives changed abruptly. The family had dinner with a few relative families and half a dozen toddlers were running up and down hallways and jumping on couches. Therefore, when a 5-year-old son Adil casually mentioned to his mother that his hip was sore, the mother assumed he bumped himself and she hoped it will be better soon.

When Adil mentioned it a second time, the mother noticed a slight bump on his left side. Both parents decided to take him to the hospital just to be safe. Both thought they may be overreacting, but they decided to be cautious. 

It came out that it was kidney tumor “Nephroblastoma” that was bothering Adil since few days.

Adil’s mother is an experienced nurse and she said “Hearing that our son will lose his kidney was crushing. Neither ‘tumor’ nor ‘malignant’ made the connection for me. Perhaps I just willed that maybe it is thought out of my mind. But then our worst fear blossomed into a horrible reality as the dreaded word ‘cancer’ was heard for our child. Nothing prepares a parent for the utter devastation of such a diagnosis.”

Adil’s father was also shocked, this is what he said after Adil’s diagnosis, “I didn’t have any idea of what journey we were embarking on. The first night was a complete state of shock. I drifted between nightmare and sleep a few times but spent it mostly lying next to my son staring into his perfect face. I was lost.” 

In the later days when his treatment was initiated, the family had to face very low moments mostly.

In the days that followed there were devastating moments like when Adil’s eyes were turning white and when they hastily took him away to the operating room, to do a nephrectomy (removal of his kidney). His mother stood still, completely alone as her son disappeared down the hall and all she could do was absolutely nothing but hope & pray.

Then there were some hopeful moments too when Adil smiled and cheerfully waved at his mother through his hospital bed’s railings after his operation.

SO far Adil has received radiation and ten months of chemo. He has now been in remission for and doing well. Besides the scars from his nephrectomy, the only visible sign of his treatment is his lack of growth. 

His father adds, “I am sure years from now, when we look back at this time, we will be able to thank God, and for now, we are living day to day. We celebrate the good days when our son wakes up feeling well and try to cope up with bad days when he suffers because of his disease. 

So is the life, a mix of lows and high moments.

Let’s pray for the complete recovery of Adil, may he recover soon and able to smile again. Aameen. May his parents be able to smoothly complete his treatment. 

Lots of prayers for Adil and his 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

Warriors and Survivors -104

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 104 

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.

Ali was a healthy baby who should have been learning to walk and talk, but at just 15-months he began exhibiting seizure-like symptoms. It was a great concern for educated parents. Ali’s both parents know the importance of age-related baby’s milestones. Ali’s seizures forced them to go to hospital. After initial consultations here and there, they approached the Children’s Hospital finally.

In the hospital, it took a while to receive a diagnosis, and it wasn’t until they transferred the family to the oncology unit of children’s hospital that things became clearer, a biopsy led to Ali being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, ‘Anaplastic Astrocytoma grade 3 glioma’ located in his brain stem. 

Ali’s mom said, “Ali was given less than a year to live - a devastating prognosis for a child who should have a full life ahead of him”.

Ali began intensive treatment and was hospitalized at least once a fortnight as he underwent few rounds of chemotherapy.  After five months the aggressive tumor had not diminished and had grown bigger. 

There were no options left for Ali until they were approached by the Children hospital neuro oncology team. After starting the program, a genetic mutation was identified, and this discovery helped doctors find a specific drug treatment i.e. Temozolomide, which aimed to target Ali’s precise genetic change.  

Two-year-old Ali began taking a medication. By the next MRI scan at the end of year the tumor had stopped growing and had shrunk.

Today Ali continues to do well, he still attends hospital for monthly check-ups, but his tumor is stable and he is improving from a clinical perspective. Although he lives with side-effects as a result of his initial treatments, he has started talking and walking and is willing and trying to do new things, he is attempting to walk, and ride his tricycle. 

“Ali has come a long way; we have had many difficult conversations with his medical team when he wasn’t expected to survive; to see him today enjoying life as any young child fills my heart with joy. We know his recovery is unprecedented and we are so grateful he is here”, said her mother.

We see miracles all around us, sincere efforts can lead to miracles.

Let’s pray for the early and complete recovery of Ali, may he fully recovers soon and is able to smile again. Aameen. May his parents be able to smoothly complete his treatment.

Lots of prayers for Ali and his 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

Warriors and Survivors - 103

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 103

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. 

Call it ‘mother’s intuition’, but Fatima’s mother knew something was very wrong when her apparently normal baby developed an enlarged belly with vomiting.

Fatima was just about to turn six months when she began to show signs of being unwell. Her mother and father were concerned about Fatima’s swollen belly, and repeated vomiting, and decided to take her to the pediatrician. After some tests were run, they were told Fatima was very sick and needed to go to the hospital straight away.

The shocking diagnosis would come after several rounds of blood and other tests. Doctors found some abnormalities in Fatima’s white blood cells and later, Fatima was officially diagnosed with leukemia.

“We waited four years for Fatima to arrive, to be told that she had cancer put all of us almost close to death”, said her parents.

Fatima is sister of two elder brothers, who are only 3 and four years old to her. It was shocking news when the family heard that their younger one is suffering with cancer. She is too small to bear this much burden of disease. 

Fatima started her treatment straight away and endured what no infant should: months of grueling chemotherapy.

Her father had to give up his job to look after Fatima, and her grandmother had to move in with family to look after their other sons.

It has been six months since Fatima was diagnosed with leukemia, she is on chemotherapy.  Every heart melts seeing her having chemotherapy.  

She later developed infection – a common complication following chemotherapy due to immunodeficiency.

It’s still a long and hard journey, Fatima is on her way to have cancer treatment and it’s a long and tiring way not only for her but for whole family including her two brothers 5 and 4 years.

“Cancer does not only affect the patient, It affects the whole family”, said Fatima’s mother while tears in her eyes.

A long way to go to complete chemotherapy only and Fatima has whole life ahead. There is always risk and fear of relapse as well. The life for this cutest little fairy is very difficult. She seems too fragile to bear the treatment agony. 

Let’s pray for the early and complete recovery of Fatima, may she recover soon and able to smile again. Aameen. May her parents be able to smoothly complete her treatment. 

Lots of prayers for fatima 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