Warriors and Survivors - 96

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 96

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. 

15th February, an International Childhood Cancer Day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors, and their families.

Every year, more than 400,000 children and adolescents below 20, are diagnosed with cancer. The rate of survival depends on the region, with 80% survival in most High-Income Countries but as low as 20% only in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In Pakistan, it is still between 20 to 25%.

The Target Goal of the WHO Global Childhood Cancer Initiative is to eliminate all pain and suffering of children fighting cancer and achieve at least 60% survival for all children diagnosed with cancer around the world by 2030.This represents an approximate doubling of the current cure rate so that an additional one million children’s lives may be saved over the next decade.

The day promotes increased appreciation and deeper understanding of issues and challenges relevant to childhood cancer and impacting children/adolescents with cancer, the survivors, their families, and the society as a whole.
It also spotlights the need for more equitable and better access to treatment and care for all children with cancer, everywhere.

This annual event was created in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International, a global network of
183 parent organizations, childhood cancer survivor associations, childhood cancer support groups, and cancer societies, in over 94 countries, across 5 continents.

The International Childhood Cancer Day is based on Childhood Cancer International’s (CCI) core belief that every child and adolescent with cancer deserves the best possible medical and psychosocial care, regardless of country of origin, race, financial status, or social class.

It is also anchored on the premise that childhood cancer deaths are avoidable, with timely and accurate diagnosis, availability, and access to quality essential medicines as well as proper treatment and care. 

On International Childhood Cancer Day, all members of Childhood Cancer International stand united to make childhood cancer a national and global child health priority to ensure there are adequate resources to meet the basic rights of children with cancer. We believe those basic rights for all children diagnosed with cancer include:

• The right to early and proper diagnosis

• The right to access life-saving essential medicines

• The right to appropriate and quality medical treatments, and

• The right to follow up care, services, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for survivors.

Furthermore, if a cure is not attainable, CCI stands by the right of the child to experience a pain-free death. While unfathomable in developed countries, the shocking reality for a majority of low-middle income nations is that children suffering from cancer will die excruciating deaths without any supportive care or pain management.

The story behind the Gold Ribbon;

Childhood cancer cure is considered a “modern day miracle” due to the significant increase in survival rates especially in developed, high income countries.
Childhood cancer is now the leading cause of non-communicable disease related death among children and adolescents in developed and developing countries. In some countries, deaths due to childhood cancer are more than the combined deaths from all types of childhood illnesses.

Due to lack of attention on development of less toxic drugs and targeted treatments, a large percentage of survivors of childhood cancer suffer life limiting conditions.

The Gold Ribbon Campaign is for the Heroes within our midst. The children and adolescents who bravely and courageously make an effort against cancer; 
the survivors who beat cancer; The families who fearlessly live with the realities of cancer and with the loss of a precious child; and, the volunteers, staff and medical practitioners who passionately serve and dedicate their time to the childhood cancer community.

In developing countries, mortality due to childhood cancer is attributed to several interrelated factors such as: lack of awareness and information on childhood cancer; delayed or wrong diagnosis; lack of access to quality cost-effective essential medicines and treatment; lack of access to trained healthcare providers.; and, weak health infrastructure.

On 15 Feb International childhood cancer day is also celebrated in Children’s hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Oncology unit management and our social worker/philanthropist Apa Farida manages to make it an event. A fun fair kind of arrangement is being done in hospital by her every year. All admitted and those who come for their chemo are invited with their parents and relatives to have awareness and enjoy a day.

Lots of prayers for the all the sick children and their families. Let’s pray that ICCD’s is successful in decreasing the childhood cancer globally. May all the sick children recover soon, and their diseases never come back and may they live normal healthy life again. Aameen

Note: Content source ICCD 

Warriors and Survivors - 95

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 94

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. 

Mehwish is only 13 years old and very decent child. She is like most other girls of her age. 

She was alright few months ago when she had a fever. Then it was a routine, she used to have intermittent fever with bone pain. Later she was diagnosed as Philadelphia positive pre–B ALL i.e. Blood cancer.

Her father is a street vendor who sells vegetables, and she has only one brother who is elder to her. Daughters are blessings and when she is the youngest and the only one, she is life for whole family. She is only female child of her parents. 

Her disease was a major issue for all three members of the family. They consulted a private hospital but could not end up getting treatment from there. 

They rushed to another hospital and finally landed in Children’s hospital. Mehwish was already worried due to her disease, and she was even depressed seeing so many children in Oncology ward. She said, she forgot her own disease seeing so young children suffering with this deadly disease. 

She used to talk to children and often try to calm them down, counseling them, playing with them. She said, it’s very difficult to see them fighting with this disease. As long as Mehwish stays in Cancer unit with other children, she always tries to bring happiness for other children by talking or helping them, giving them hope. 

It's a great blessing that you help others while fighting with your own luck. Very few people are blessed with this ability to care for others while they are suffering themselves. Wiping others tears while crying yourself is a special human trait. This little 13 years old has this trait, a trait which is extremely rare. 

The world may become a great place if not heaven if we all have this ability to help others while struggling with our own hardships. Everyone has his own share of grief and problems, how you handle them or how you behave while going through these hardships define your life. 

I am impressed by this little pure soul who not only prays for all patients, but she is very much worried for her parents. She wants to live for her parents. She is worried what will her parents do without her. She wants to live for them.  

Mehwish has her five chemotherapy courses by now and she is waiting for rest of the treatment. It’s Allah’s special blessing on her that her treatment is smooth so far. May it go smoother till the end. 

Mehwish wishes to eradicate this disease so that no child and parent would have to suffer like this. May her dream come true someday. Aameen

Sincere prayers for Mehwish and her family. May she live a healthy long life. Aameen.

Lot of prayers for the family. Let’s pray for the full recovery of Mehwish and ease of her parents. May her disease never come back and may she live normal healthy life again. 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 - 94

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog #94

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. 

In the U.S., more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. With the treatments available today, 80 % of these children survive.

While in Pakistan, 7,000 to 8,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, out of which 60 to 80 % do not survive. On the surface, that sounds like bad news, but these numbers don’t tell the whole story. The real numbers may be worse than this. Due to the poor facilities, it is easily predictable that most of children do not get to diagnostic and treatment facilities and so the real number of children with cancer could be far more than this.  

There are multiple reasons for this high prevalence and poor outcome, which I have mentioned in my previous blogs. With this alarming number, will we ever be able to take measures to control the disease and improve the outcome? This cruel disease is playing with our young generation, our future. 

Let’s know about another affectee, 10 years old Iqra from Muridke. Iqra was a fun-loving little girl with an irrepressible sense of humor. Strong and determined, her courage inspired all those who knew her.

Iqra was just eight years old when she fell while playing with her friends. She got hit on back and there was no wound, just a minor bruise. Her mother also noticed a bruise on her back. Both of them did not care much about it as it was not a big deal at that time.

With each passing day, she had pain in her back on the spot, soon the pain got worse. Iqra was seen by a doctor, and he advised some pain killers and local application. But Iqra did not get better.

It was a serious matter by now, parents were worried and consulted some other physicians and they referred for more tests. With each new scan, parents’ anxiety grew. Eventually, the doctors gave them the shocking news: Iqra had Ewing Sarcoma. Her little body was battling with cancer. Iqra was losing her ability to walk and speak in under two years, she was not able to have voluntary control of her lower body. 

Her backbone surgery was done and doctors said she will be able to walk soon. But it took her longer than expected to walk again. She was too weak to walk. 

Iqra went through six cycles of chemotherapy. By the end of two and a half years, it appeared that the treatment was working. But sometimes when she had some complications, both parents’ anxiety went high. Iqra had to go through radiation therapy as well.

Though life was not very easy and happy before cancer, but diagnosis and treatment of cancer was the hardest part in the life of this family. “It seems every moment was terrible”, her mother said. 

Iqra has completed her chemotherapy cycles and she has left for her hometown. She is on follow up now. She was very happy on the day of her last chemo but not as happy and as carefree as she used to be before this disease. 

Lot of prayers for the family. Let’s pray for the full recovery of Iqra and ease of her parents. Prayers that Iqra remains healthy, always. Aameen. May her disease never come back and may she live normal healthy life again. 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 -93

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 93

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. 

A woman from Abbottabad periphery is admitted in Oncology unit of children’s hospital with her ten-year-old son. These people from northern areas are most attractive in looks but they have lots of issues and miseries. They are poor as well but surprisingly they are grateful for everything they have. 

10 years old Muzammil Riasat got hit by a stone while playing. There was no bleeding on the spot but there was an internal wound. Muzammil had off and on pain in that wound. There are no hospitals and clinics in their locality. A couple of local hospitals are present, but they are too far. Muzammil’s mother did some home remedies but that was not enough to relive his pain and his wound did not heal. 

Muzammil’s father is a laborer, so it took him days to decide that he must take his son to a hospital. It was not easy for his father to plan a visit to hospital out of his tight work schedule and due to lack of finances. It took him weeks to take his son to hospital in Abbottabad. Doctors gave him medicines and some local application and sent him home. 

After some days his leg started swelling slowly. Muzammil was having pain as well. His parents decided to take him to Children hospital on some relative’s advice. His father managed to do this somehow seeing his son’s condition. 

In Children’s hospital, Muzammil was diagnosed with cancer. He was having Ewing Sarcoma. Poor, uneducated parents did not even know what Ewing Sarcoma was. They just knew that their son had cancer, and they had to do whatever they could in this poverty. 

It’s been three months now Muzammil is on treatment and undergoing chemotherapy. His laborer father is under lots of debt. They do not have money to pay for the cost of medicines or treatment. Many diagnostic tests are not available in the hospital, and they have to do it on their own. Living out of their hometown, food, residence, and travel is too much to handle for a distant poor family with an emotional burden of such a cruel disease. 

A difficult era been started for this simple and grateful family. Three other children are with old grandmother in Abbottabad. Allah is only sustainer 

All the stories that I write are almost similar, poor families with so much, financial, emotional and disease burden. Helplessness, poverty, agony, and most deprived people of the society. We must think, what can we do for them? How to ease them? 

They follow who treat them well, avoid who scold or mistreat them. The child is not able to think other than his pain. When this pain will decrease then he will be able to think that how miserable life has become for him and his parents. It is still a start of this painful journey, a long way to go yet...

Lot of prayers for the suffering family. Let’s pray for the full recovery of Muzammil and ease of his parents. Prayers that Muzammil recovers fully soon. Aameen. May Allah recover him soon and may he live normal healthy life again. 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 - 92

 Warriors and Survivors - Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 92

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 saw four years old Haram with her mother, I was surprised about her mother’s age. I thought the little angel was all alone with her grandmother. Yes, her mother looked as old as a grandmother. It was surprising that a mother of four-year-old was an old lady with wrinkles.

Sadness overcome surprise when I talked to her. Haram’s mother became a widow twelve years ago, she had two children. Then her family remarried her, and now she has four children. To her bad luck, her new husband was an addict, who never took care of his children and wife. Haram’s mother takes care of four children, and she is not young enough to manage this big responsibility all alone. In addition to this burden, she has to take care of her younger one Haram and her chronic disease. 

Haram is four-year-old baby girl with diagnosed pre b ALL (Pre-B Acute lymphoblastic Leukemia). She has been on chemotherapy for one year.  

Her mother was working as maid and taking care of her four children at her hometown. Now she has no means of earnings as her husband does nothing being an addict. The family comes from Mandi Bahauddin for treatment. She has to leave her three children at home all alone. In this age she is running for her youngest daughter’s treatment.

Only God knows how she has managed this one year of her daughter’s treatment. Or we can say Allah has managed her treatment so far. She is altogether without any aid. 

The little one is bearing chemo and still two more years of treatment to go if everything goes smoothly. But who knows how these two years will pass as both mother and daughter have no one to help them. They are all alone in this big city, waiting for some miracle, ease and good time to come. 

Lot of prayers for the suffering family. Let’s pray for the full recovery of Haram and ease of her mother. Prayers that Haram recovers fully soon. Aameen. May Allah recover her soon and may she live normal healthy life again. 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 - 91

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 91

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.

Though every parents have to be brave enough to raise their children, but some are exceptionally strong. Apart from a warrior child today it’s a story of a single mother Khalida, we need prayers for.

Khalida, Kashif’s mother is a single parent, she is unmarried. She has four brothers but was living alone being unmarried. Khalida’s elder sister gave her son to her, so she adopted Kashif in his early age. Now Kashif was her only focus and reason to live. When Kashif was older enough, she told him that she was not his real mother, but his aunt was his real mother. But Kashif said that for him Khalida was his mother, no matter what the reality was. Life was not perfect, but it was going well until Kashif had a persistent fever.

At age 10, while he was playing cricket, suddenly he developed pain in his abdomen and later fever.  In the next couple of days, it was persistent low-grade fever with few vomiting episodes. Later he had abdominal distension too. He was taken to local DHQ in his city. They referred the patient to Sahiwal after initial treatment.

In Sahiwal, Kashif was diagnosed as cancer patient, his laparotomy was done, and a colostomy bag was attached. He had to go through mass biopsy as well, and his diagnosis was confirmed, CA colon.

Though life with a colostomy bag is worse, but his mother was happy that Kashif was doing well. After three months when he had to go for colostomy bag removal, it was revealed that he had developed abdominal infection. Further tests confirmed that he had abdominal tumor.

Life was giving very hard time to mother and son. But the brave lady and her warrior son were again ready for the surgery. Surgery was done and his tumor was resected. They were told that Kashif will be all fine with the chemotherapy and they initiated chemotherapy.

But Kashif had again fever and he was really not doing well. Somehow, she brought him to tertiary care hospital in Lahore for better treatment. Kashif is on chemotherapy again, he had been through eight chemotherapy cycles and few more to go.

None of Khalida’s siblings are helping her, she is fighting solely for her only son. Sometimes her neighbors help her. Most of the medicines are freely available but for Oxaliplatin she has to arrange funds. It is the height of helplessness when she is unable to afford single injection to save her child. But she is still struggling.

I am unable to write more than that for her and Kashif but only prayers for the warriors that soon they become survivors.

Let’s pray for the full recovery of Kashif and ease of his mother. Prayers that Kashif recovers fully soon. Aameen. May Allah recover him soon and may he live normal healthy life. 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 -90

Children Cancer Stories by Rukh Yusuf - Blog # 90

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.

She was having meal when she felt nausea and vomitted out. After some time, she had swollen abdomen with severe abdominal pain.

Her parents took her to hospital in Khan pur. They gave her pain injections and performed CT scan. Doctors advised she is having tumors in her abdomen.

She was referred to Children’s hospital Pediatric Oncology department. She was diagnosed as Wilms tumor after some diagnostic tests.

Samia is only four years old girl, and she is the only child of her parents. Her parent’s life revolves around her. Her father works in a factory and the family is resident of Rahim Yar Khan.

Samia’s Tumor is increasing in size and her blood pressure is still on higher side despite two antihypertensives she is receiving. Little angel is not doing well even after one chemo cycle.

Poor father has left his livelihood for the treatment of his only daughter. Life is hard. Hardships do not matter much as long as our loved ones are healthy and safe.

But Samia is not healthy, and one cannot guarantee her health in future life. But the good thing is she is fighting and her parents are fighting against cancer. Warriors always fight no matter they win or not. May she win her battle against cancer.

We only can pray for the health and recovery of Samia and her future life. Aameen

May Samia’s disease is cured fully. May she recover soon. May her parents see their daughter's smile again. Let’s pray for all the Warriors and Survivors and their health and happiness and the ease of their families. Aameen

Note: Names have been changed to protect identity.