Warriors and Survivors - 87

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 87

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. 

 

Fourteen years old Wasif has three siblings, He is the eldest one: two sisters and one brother. Wasif was a 9th grade student and was doing well until he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. Wasif’s father works in a power loom and belong to lower middle-class family. 

Wasif was enjoying his early teen years when he fell and got his femur broken. Surgery was done and he recovered slowly but after some time his leg started swelling with fever. Suddenly he had tumor in his mouth and his eye got swell. 

They consulted a local doctor and he treated symptomatically but Wasif did not get better. Ultimately, he was referred to tertiary care hospital. Wasif was first treated by neurology unit where his biopsy was done and then he was sent to oncology department after diagnosis that his disease was metastatic, and he needed cancer treatment. 

Wasif was finally diagnosed as a Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma case, and his chemotherapy was initiated after family’s consent. It is obvious that chemotherapy consent is not an easy ride. One has to bear hardships either way, no matter what you decide. 

Up till now, four chemotherapy cycles have been completed. As the disease is spreading, no one can give any surety, but the treatment is going on and it should be. Wasif is mature enough to understand his disease and its outcome and that is the sad part of the story. A fourteen-year-old knows that it is less likely that he would be cured fully, and that chemo is going to hurt any way. It is heart breaking to know a young lad who should be the pillar of his family and future hope for his nation has higher chances that he may not survive for long. 

That’s the hard part of Wasif’s story, he has such shining eyes, that used to sparkle with future dreams when he was all fine. Now his eyes do not shine like they used to be. They are dim and always thinking in despair. 

Wasif’s family and specially his mother keeps on weeping, she is too sad and hardly managing the news of her eldest son’s disease. She wants her son to immediately get better, but she knows only a miracle can do this. 

She is praying hard for the health of her son. His father has left his job for the treatment of his son, and this is also a reason for the financial crisis of the family. 

Let’s pray for the ease of Wasif’s family and health and recovery for Wasif as nothing is impossible for Allah.

Prayers for the ease for Wasif and his family. Aameen. May Allah recover Wasif soon and may he live normally. Aameen

May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors. 

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors - 86

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 86

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. 

 

Cancer – a serious diagnosis in a boy less than ten years of age – is the story of Moeez, but he never let it define him. Instead, with the help of his family and healthcare staff, he is embracing every opportunity to get treatment and live and do the things that matter most to him.

“I credit Allah and my family and doctors in hospital that I am living my life,” Moeez said. “They never gave up on me, and I wanted to get better after everything they were doing for me.”

Moeez was not even ten when he received his first cancer diagnosis i.e., Pre-B ALL. “I believe Allah had a hand in all of this, because I was diagnosed immediately,” Moeez said. 

Moeez had swollen Lymph nodes in neck and fever and lethargy since many days and the symptoms kept appearing on and off. As the family was living in small town near D G Khan, the local doctor advised biopsy, but the parents were not ready to go for biopsy. When the symptoms persisted, the family decided to go for more specialized checkup and proper diagnosis. 

They moved to Lahore for Moeez’s diagnosis. Here, after many investigations, Moeez was diagnosed for Pre-B ALL, and he was not doing very well at that time. Treatment was advised immediately, and the family agreed to go for chemotherapy with a heavy heart. 

Moeez has four sisters and two brothers; his father owns a small shop, and they have their own house in D G khan. Their Life was going well though may not be excellent. The news of the beloved son has shattered the little peace they had. 

Presently, the parents are with M Moeez in hospital and his treatment is going on. It is the hardest part of life seeing their young son down with such a cruel disease. His mother is always in tears and Moeez is silent. He does not even know exactly what he should think and what will happen to him. 

 

Moeez has constant headache despite medicines; he is having severe stress of his disease, can’t eat due to nausea associated with his medications. 

Despite all these symptoms and lethargy, this 10 years old lad is always attentive to everyone who talks about his disease from family or doctors or nurses. He is curious to know about progression of his disease and outcome. 

Inside his tender heart, he longs to have confirmation that he will be alright after some treatment. May Allah confirm this that he will be completely normal for good after this treatment. Aameen

Prayers for the ease for M Moeez’s and his family. Aameen. May Allah recover Moeez soon and may he live normally. Aameen

May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors. 

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors - 85

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 85

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. 

 

When I first met Aqsa, she was on a wheelchair. Her large eyes were silent, and her lips were very dry. When I asked her name, I could not hear the reply, just saw she was saying something. I smiled and asked her, why cannot you speak loudly! Have not you eaten anything? 

Her reply saddened me, and I still feel sad. She smiled back and replied, “I have not eaten anything for two months, I have been fed though feeding tube”. 

There are storis on each foot of this earth, devastating, grieving and unforgettable. How much pain one can bear and how can my heart hold so much pain for all these children? 

When I talked to Aqsa’s mother, she told me that one year ago, Aqsa had a wound in her leg that was not healing. They consulted local doctor in their town who referred her to tertiary care hospital, and she was admitted here within days. 

Soon after admission, her leg was resected due to wound to avoid spread. Aqsa is fourteen years old and only sister of four brothers. The family is from a peripheral town, and they have to travel for the treatment. 

Aqsa was diagnosed with low-grade osteosarcoma; her chemotherapy was initiated but after two cycles she developed severe side effects. Her side effects were managed, and her treatment was completed. 

After few months, she came back with lower abdomen complications and relapse was diagnosed. Yes, her disease had come back, Poor Aqsa had to fight once again. 

Pain and hopelessness faded not only her smile but also her voice, she was too weak and feeble to express her pain. I still can feel her sadness on her face. 

Her disease was not under control, she was admitted soon after the day she met me. Her mother was worried due to her worsening. In couple of days Aqsa was admitted in the ICU, her lower abdominal tumor was worse this time and chemotherapy was not affecting her.  She was too weak to tolerate chemotherapy this time. 

Her father was here with Aqsa, family was doing everything for their one and only beloved child. Sometimes a very sick child comes back from ICU but Aqsa, she went there and never came back. She left her innocent smile in my eyes. 

Just like Aqsa, lots of flowers have been gathered in heaven so far, I hope to meet them there one day, I hope to see them healthy, happy and pain free. 

Prayers for the ease for Aqsa’s mother and father. Aameen

Prayers for the ease of Aqsa’s family. May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors. 

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors - 84

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 84

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. 

Every single person has his/her own story; every soul carries its share of sorrows. We can’t guess a normal person walking in front of us has so much to handle until we hear them. 

When we face some difficulty or trial, we think that only we are in the worst situation. There can’t be any worse condition than what we are facing now. Whenever you feel like this, just start looking around, you will see a lot of people are suffering silently. There are grief stories all around us. They are so heart touching that it becomes difficult to decide what is the biggest grief. 

The key is “kindness”. A little compassion and kindness from us for everyone we deal with can lessen the pain of people who are silently suffering. Kindness heals us also; it alleviates our own sadness. When we behave politely with people around us, it becomes easy for them to bear the situation.  

Abbas Ali and his mother are in a similar situation. Abbas was three when his father passed away. The single mother took responsibility and started working as maid and brought up her only child. Abbas’s grandmother helped a lot in raising him and helping her daughter. Life was not easy but passing slowly with hope that Abbas Ali will someday take the family charge and will be taking care of her. But when he was ten, his mother had to bear another great grief of her life, Abbas was diagnosed as a blood cancer patient. 

After grieving for some time, she stood for treatment of her only son. She used to work some days, collect her wages, and used to take her son to hospital in Lahore for treatment. It was not as easy though as mentioned.  

After many difficult days, courage, prayers and hardships Abbas Ali went in remission, and both mother and son were very happy for the outcome. They went back to hometown dreaming happily ever after.

Life started again, they were contented that bad days had passed and now Abbas would complete his education and fulfill his dreams. But once started, trials do not end easily. Just after one and a half year, Abbas Ali’s disease came back. He got sick again and upon follow up, it was revealed that he was in relapse. His disease had come back. It was a devastating news for his mother and Abbas Ali as well. He is now grown up, he has many dreams, plans for his life and his mother. 

But now, chances of his treatment success are lesser than before. His mother is not agreed to start chemotherapy again as she has been counselled about treatment success rate and complications associated with relapse treatment.  

Other possibility is bone marrow transplant, the poor child has no siblings and father, so he has no donor. BMT consultation is waited for haploidentical transplant, which has its own complications though.

After few days of grieving, she has decided to go for chemotherapy, which is no doubt a courageous decision. His mother is crying continuously, she is not able to speak even. Abbas Ali is silent; he does not know what to think and speak. 

Life has brought them at a very cruel stage. Sometimes it becomes even difficult to just look at the child out of grief and helplessness. We healthcare providers only can do our part. Only Allah can heal these patients.

Prayers for the ease for Abbas Ali and his mother and grandmother. Aameen

Request for special prayers for Abbas Ali, that he recovers as soon as possible. May Allah grant some miracle for his complete recovery and may his disease never come back again. Aameen

Prayers for the ease of Abbas and his family. May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors.

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors - 83

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 83

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 has been three months since Shahzad was admitted in the hospital. Nine-year-old Shahzad is from Bahawalpur. He comes from a village and his father is laborer with five children.  It is not easy for him to raise his family even without the burden of disease. With a sick child, father’s life is even worse now. But He is still determined for the life of his child. 

Shehzad had fever for a month. His parents took him to another city Multan for treatment. There is a tertiary care hospital in Multan. Shehzad had to undergo several tests and he was diagnosed as AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). It was a devastating news for the family as Shehzad is too young to understand the disease and possible consequences. Shehzad was referred to children hospital.

Treatment was initiated in hospital three months ago and the parents had a sigh of relief, thinking their child will be better in some time but no one knows how much time as it is. AML is with so many possible complications and chances of infection. 

The parents managed everything somehow for the treatment of their little angel from living out of town to leaving other children behind. His father even had to leave his job to stay with his young lad and making arrangements for the medications and his tests. 

Sometimes Shehzad insist to be with his father, and he has to stay with him. Life is more difficult than the disease itself.  Shehzad is in pain, His parents are in much more pain than him and they are looking at the doctors and praying for some miracle for the cure of their child. 

After all this pain and efforts so far, Shehzad has undergone two chemo cycles and his latest reports are not up to the mark for further treatment. Shehzad is on palliation now. Despite the counselling by the team, his mother is still satisfied that her child is not in pain. 

 

 

It is heart breaking situation, an angel who is only nine years old and who had to study and realize his dreams is now on hospital bed waiting for his death. 

Shehzad knows his condition now, he has realized that his life is short now, he does not smile, nor even talk.  He just keeps lying on bed on pain medications waiting for his turn to come. 

Though it is not easy to write about a dying child, but it is more difficult to see them and not being able to do anything for these children and it’s even worse to be a parent of such a child. 

Death is the biggest reality of this world which no one can deny. But a little angel’s death and waiting for death is like dying every moment before death. I am unable to express their state in words anymore. 

Prayers for the ease for Shehzad and his family. Aameen

Request for prayers for  Shehzad, that he recovers as soon as possible. May Allah grant some miracle for his complete recovery and may his disease never come back. Aameen

Prayers for the ease of Shehzad and his family. May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors.

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors -82

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 82

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.

Ashir, a little angel from Peshawar is burning with high grade fever.  In the lap of his grandmother, he does not even remember his mother. He is stuck to his grandmother and thinks he is safe there. Grandfather having tears in his old, weak eyes is also worried for his beloved grandson who is burning with fever in front of him.

Two and half years old Ashir seems half dead, it’s his first chemo day today. He has been diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic Leukemia and he is not in a very stable condition.  Who knows this feeble poor child will be able to fight with such a monster disease or not.

Ashir’s laborer father is running here and there to get reports done for his little child. He has hardly mustered up his courage to fight with blood cancer of his dear son. Heartbreaking news of the cancer diagnosis had killed him and his whole family but then they gathered their courage and decided to go outstation to get the treatment done for their son.

Father and grandparents are with Ashir and mother is taking care for the rest of children in Peshawar. There are other diseases in the world and for children as well, but they are not as difficult as Cancer. Despite so much advancement in medical technology in diagnosis and treatment across the globe, cancer is still a nightmare for everyone, be it the Physician or the patient.

Today writing about Ashir, I remember so many of my patients to whom I saw in similar condition like Ashir. I am already afraid due to his condition, just imagine what could be the mantle state of his parents and other family members who have been counselled about his disease and exact disease condition.

Children are near to my heart and when it comes to sick children it really breaks my heart. Those who have worked with children in any capacity can imagine better the pain and happiness associated working with children. It is a nerve wrecking, constant battle. You cannot forget even dead children, their hopes, their dreams, and laughs.

Seeing Ashir in this semi unconscious state has reminded me of few children who are not among us anymore, and I request to all those who are reading to pray specially for the recovery of Ashir.

Prayers that Ashir recovers as soon as possible. May Allah grant him complete recovery and may his disease never come back. Aameen

Prayers for the ease of Ashir and his family. May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors.

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity

Warriors and Survivors - 81

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 81

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.

 

“I learned that courage was not absence of fear, but the triumph over it, the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers the fear”. Nelson Mandela

Only brave people have triumph stories to tell. Sixth grade student and a female child from Lahore is so brave that she is not only fighting with her terrible disease but also is a support for the family. She is having big dreams.

Arhama is only thirteen years old, and she is student of sixth grade. She belongs to a middle-class family from Lahore. Six months back she had pain in her right foot, later it started getting blue.

In few days, her foot was all blue and it was very painful. Physician referred her to tertiary care hospital and doctors advised few tests. Tests results led to more tests until she had to go for MRI and biopsy.

It was a terrible news for the family when tests results arrived. Arhama was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed with RMS (Rhabdomyosarcoma) of right foot. Little doll Arhama was brave enough to counsel her family. She explained her family that after all it is a disease, and it can be treated.

Her first chemotherapy started in April 2022 and till date she has received six chemotherapy courses of one month duration each. No doubt this was a lot for a young girl like Arhama. But the brave soul is still fighting hard. After six courses there was another trial for Arhama and her family. Doctors suggested to surgically remove her affected foot.

Her parents were in shock, and it was the saddest time for the whole family. Again, the brave little soul came forward and she managed to counsel and make her family agree for the surgery. Finally, the day came when her foot was amputated.

She is now unable to walk and stand at her own, but she always smiles. She has dreams for her future. Armaha wants to be a doctor and she is Alhamdulillah quite hopeful for her future and her recovery.

She still has to undergo few chemotherapy cycles, there is still a long way to go.

May Allah recover her and bring reality to her hopes and prayers. Aameen

Prayers that Arhama recovers as soon as possible. May Allah grant her complete recovery and may her disease never come back. Aameen

 

Prayers for the ease of tashiqa and her family. May Allah recover all patients. May Allah ease and cure all patients and cancer warriors.

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity