Ali was 5 years old and in kindergarten during his diagnosis.
One day in late November 2013, he came
home from school with a headache. Later that day, he soon felt fine
because he was soothed by the glass of warm milk I gave. The next day
after two hours of school, his headache recurred. Out of instinct, I
brought him to his pediatrician who told me it was just sinus infection.
At that time, I was relieved! She prescribed antibiotics and suggested
more rest periods for Ali.
For the next 10 days, Ali would have
recurrent headaches that didn't really last long in the morning. On his
second visit to his pediatrician a few days later, out of the blue, I
even questioned if it was a brain tumor.
Finally after 6 visits to different
specialists (because I bugged them enough), they advised to let us do a
routine MRI. On the morning of his MRI, we all remained positive. Of
course, Ali was excited for a new toy, as it had been promised if he
stayed still in the machine - which he did eventually.
We left and had a fun in the morning
as we shopped for his new toy and did errands. On the way home, his
pediatrician called me to go back to her clinic as Ali’s results came
in. At the clinic, it was the most devastating news a parent never wants
to hear. "The MRI has confirmed that your son has a brain tumor" Ali’s doctor said.
From that revelation, things moved
very quickly for all of us. I was hastily worried with the expenses! I
knew we have to sort and discuss options with my husband as Ali needs
funds fast for his brain tumor treatment.
Because of a friend’s recommendation, we looked into options provided by PlacidWay.
We accessed the site and selected affordable treatment options. Within
the week, we were sent to see an oncologist to help explain what was
going on and explain treatment options for Ali.
His surgery requires removal of a cystic lesion at the pareito-occipital lobe of the brain.
Who would have thought our lives would change so much after only 48
hours of staying in India? The tumor was apparently in a good location
and the surgeons were able to get the tumor completely out - which was
great news. There were risks associated with the surgery, but Ali came
out with no damage done to his brain.
It was good too that the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute
took care of booking our tickets and itineraries. Logistic needs such
as car for pickup and accommodation where also secured. The total
duration of our stay at the cancer hospital would be about 45 days. But
they told us to be prepared to stay for at least 60 days, as there would
be a Radiation oncology therapy – Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) Rapid Arc Therapy 35 fractions.
We did not have problem in booking for
Ali’s slot – as we did not experience a long wait. A week later after
his IGRT, we went home. Family and friends were incredibly supportive
to Ali. We live in a trivial community in Najaf, Iraq and we were
surprised that friends and neighbors went out of their way to donate
money to help pay Ali’s medical trip.