How a Pakistani family in Abu Dhabi worked to help their 10-year-old girl beat cancer

“I can barely describe the past few months to you,” Nahl’s father Khaled Fayyaz told Gulf News, struggling to hold back tears.

The 46-year-old Pakistani expat, a production supervisor based in Abu Dhabi, was shocked to learn of her daughter’s diagnosis on January 24.

“My daughter was very tired and pale for a while. One day, she fainted and we took her to the hospital, suspecting that she was just anemic. A day or two later, when her doctor asked us to rush to another hospital – Bo Gill Medical City, we were surprised,” Fayaz said.

There, doctors told Fayyaz and his wife that Nahl had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive cancer that starts in white blood cells. There seems to be some hope that, as doctors say, most children will be able to beat the disease with a one-month treatment plan that includes chemotherapy and medication.

The family began treatment and spent most of the month traveling to and from the hospital. While Fayyaz and his wife were helping their daughter, Nahl’s grandmother came down from Pakistan to care for her two brothers at home.

However, when Nahl was tested a month later, cancer cells remained.

“The doctor said another two month treatment cycle would help and that more than 90% of the children would recover after that. We were hopeful, only to learn two months later that Nahl still had cancer cells. That’s when I knew​​​​ , it was all a sacred test of patience. My daughter continued to smile in pain and we had to help her keep fighting,” Fayyaz said.

After numerous consultations with foreign experts, Nahl received two six-day high-dose chemotherapy regimens. This will help prepare her for what she needs – a bone marrow transplant.

“It was tiring, and by then, my daughter had lost her hair. But she persevered, and this time, no cancer cells were detected in her blood. At the same time, it turned out that our youngest son was with us. The daughter’s bone marrow is a perfect match, which doesn’t always happen,” Fayyaz said.

It was not an easy decision for the family, especially since the donation process was also painful for the donor. But it was the best medical solution for Nahl, whose 5-year-old brother donated his bone marrow on Aug. 17.

Now, the next three months will be critical in determining the success of the program. Meanwhile, Nahl and her brother remain in hospital.

“My daughter has always been the kindest person, very caring about her parents and those around her. She loves her arts and crafts and I’ve been waiting for the day we can take her home without worrying about her health. I Can’t wait to see her thrive again. I’m also very proud of what my young son has endured,” Fayyaz said, sitting beside his son’s bed.

The family must now pay Dh300,000 for the transplant. Fayyaz said he won’t even be able to send his eldest son to school when the new school year starts later this month due to limited resources.

“I am not sure how we will pay it off. I am grateful for the generosity of the UAE leadership, hospitals, medical professionals, staff, my colleagues, our neighbours, my children’s school and many others around us We have seen so far. Nowhere else can we expect such magnanimity. I just hope and pray that our dear angel Nahl will recover from all this,” Fayyaz said.

Nahl’s teachers were also full of praise for the brave girl.

“She and her brothers are such kind kids and do so well in school. We’ve been distraught since we heard about her cancer diagnosis. In fact, we heard earlier when Nahl started losing her hair due to chemotherapy. Feeling down, so some of our school staff cut our hair out of solidarity and to give her strength,” said Shanti Joshy, Secondary Supervisor at the International Indian School.