Nazia Ali, mother of 14-year-old Hazrat Ali, remembers the devastation she felt 12 years ago when doctors first told her that her two-year-old son had blood cancer.
Sharing her family’s experience during Gold September, which raises awareness about childhood cancer, Ali says her son’s symptoms included unexplained pain in his leg and a fever.
She says her son is now 14 years old, healthy and cancer-free, but she still remembers how difficult it was to accept the diagnosis.
Ali says there is also a misconception that blood cancer only affects children who have a family history of the disease, stressing that this is not necessarily the case.
She says Hazrat began chemotherapy, she tried to make the frightening experience easier for him by telling him the treatment would turn him into a superhero.
However, behind those words of encouragement, Ali says she was scared after doctors told the family her son had a 50-50 chance.
She says instead of focusing on the possibility of losing him, she placed her faith in the positive 50 percent and continued to hope that he would recover.
Ali says she was also frightened when doctors warned that there was a high possibility of the cancer returning.
As a teacher, Ali took leave without pay so she could care for her son throughout his three years of treatment, most of which was carried out in Fiji.
After years of chemotherapy, uncertainty and sacrifice, the mother says one of the happiest moments for the family came when they were finally told that Hazrat was cancer-free.
