Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 145
Noor Fatima was a normal, healthy baby. In January 2023, Noor Fatima’s mom, felt a lump near her 02-year-old’s right shoulder. At first, the pediatrician thought it might be a muscle knot. But when the lump was still there two weeks later, the doctor recommended that Noor Fatima see a specialist at Children’s Hospital and referred the family to hospital.
Over the next two weeks, Noor Fatima underwent a series of imaging tests so clinicians could get a clearer picture of the lump. After the tests, a pediatric oncologist with expertise in the care of children with solid tumors, came to talk with family. Dr. said it was likely the mass in Noor Fatima’s back was a form of cancer. An MRI showed the mass was close to her spine; just how close would be a factor in whether surgery would be an option to remove it or not.
Noor Fatima’s parents were in shock. In just a couple of weeks, Noor Fatima had gone from being an apparently healthy baby to a child with life-threatening cancer.
The doctor explained to the parents that although she appeared to have a less aggressive form of rhabdomyosarcoma, the mass was very close to her spine and surgery may not be able to remove all of the cancerous tissue. Instead, she recommended starting treatment with chemotherapy.
Three days after her birthday, she received first treatment at children’s hospital. “It was rough,” said mother. “Noor Fatima got very sick. But the nursing staff was wonderful with her. It was amazing how quickly I had confidence in them.”
After three months, Noor Fatima had a series of tests to gauge the effectiveness of the treatment: an MRI and a CT scan, all in one day. The images showed that despite treatment, the mass had grown. It was time to switch gears.
The parents met with the doctors, to discuss adjusting Noor’s treatment plan. The doctors proposed switching to a higher protocol of chemotherapy — a stronger combination of drugs — combined with sessions of radiation therapy.
After one dose of the new chemotherapy regimen, which would go on for 52 weeks, Noor began radiation treatment.
The treatment was powerful, and she developed significant burns on her skin and in her throat in the path of the focused radiation beams.
An important ray of hope came in November. Scans done after the inflammation from the radiation treatment had subsided showed the mass was not active. It was still there, but it was just a clump of dead tissue.
Even with that good news, the chemotherapy treatment continued as doctors wanted to be certain Noor’s cancer was eliminated. But treatment was taking its toll on Noor. The drugs used in the second protocol were more powerful, and the side effects were more intense.
After a particularly intense week of chemotherapy, Noor was sick for weeks. Tests showed elevated liver enzymes in her blood which could have been caused by a reaction to chemotherapy medication. The medical team did not want to risk permanent damage to her liver, so his chemotherapy treatment ended early. Scans two weeks later showed no signs of active disease.
Though she has completed her treatment, but Noor will return to hospital for scans every three months, and her parents are in touch with doctors with any questions or concerns they have between appointments.
Prayers for Noor Fatima’s healthy life always. Lots of prayers for her parents and her whole family who are fighting this battle together.
Lots of prayers for all sick children to recover quickly and never experience their illnesses again. May they lead happy and healthy lives once more. Aameen.
No comments:
Post a Comment