Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 153
I am Rukh Yusuf, Clinical Pharmacist, also specialized in Total Parenteral Nutrition and Bone Marrow Transplant. I have been working in the 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.
Amna was just 8 months old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. After two operations and round after round of chemotherapy, she was finally declared cancer free. Today, she is a happy and healthy ten-year-old, with two very grateful parents.
When Amna turned six months old, her parents were grateful for having a bright and bubbly baby girl, and everything was going fine. But one night, Amna was choking, and she couldn’t breathe. The parents rushed her straight to hospital.
An X-ray revealed that one of Amna’s lungs had collapsed and she had fluid on both lungs. The next morning, a CT scan showed a mass in her chest and abdomen. The parents weren’t sure what was happening. “I was looking down at Amna in her cot, tubes everywhere, and thinking: What does all this mean?” her mother said.
At the hospital, the medical team told parents that the mass in Amna’s body was likely to be neuroblastoma, the most common solid tumor found in babies.
Later, the news was bad: Amna had stage 4 neuroblastoma that had spread to her bones.
Amna’s tumor was too large to operate on, so high-dose chemotherapy began immediately. The family settled into a new routine: one week of chemotherapy, two weeks off. The parents had no choice except to wait, and trust Allah that the treatment was working for their precious daughter.
After first round of chemotherapy, a scan revealed that the tumor had reduced in size by 50%. Chemotherapy continued, but after six more rounds, there was no further progress.
With Amna now eleven months old, the doctors decided to operate. They managed to remove the tumor from her chest. Amna spent her first birthday in isolation. After four more rounds of chemotherapy and a second operation, the tumor seemed to have gone.
The next two years were hard, with anxiety continuing through regular check-ups and the constant fear of relapse.
Today, Amna is a happy and healthy ten-year-old girl. She loves to play with friends. Amna says when she grows up, she wants to be a nurse who will take care of sick children.
Prayers for Amna's healthy life ahead. Lots of prayers for her parents and whole family who fought 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.
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