After Fighting Blood Cancer Once, Her Cancer Is Now Damaging Her Brain Brutally

“I had to put one child through pain to save the other. On the day of the transplant, my son Sohail, just 11, was trembling as the doctors prepared the injections. He was so brave, not for himself…but for his sister. He asked, ‘Ammi, will it hurt a lot?’ I lied through my tears and said no...but inside, I was breaking. I knew it would hurt. But he bravely said, ‘It’s okay, Ammi. I’ll do it...I just want my didi back.’ - Arifa, Samima’s mother.

That was the day little Sohail became a donor for his 15-year-old sister Samima, who is battling relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.

By the time they found out, her blood cancer had already attacked 70% of her body

In 2023, Samima began falling sick repeatedly with unexplained fevers and pain. One day, she could no longer swallow food without choking. One night, Arifa woke up with a nightmare that Samima had cancer. 

Desperate to find answers, with just Rs. 20,000 in hand, Arifa left for Bangalore, thinking she would bring her daughter back cured. That amount barely covered the scans and MRIs. And then came the words no parent should ever have to hear - ‘Her blood cancer has spread to 70% of her body.’

Her cancer has returned in cruel form, with severe neurological damage

Despite surviving the transplant, Samima’s battle was far from over. Today, her cancer has returned. This disease is now attacking her brain, damaging her eyes, and triggering severe neurological complications due to chronic GvHD after her transplant.

Her brain is so damaged that now she mumbles incoherently and forgets faces

“She speaks, but nothing makes sense. She doesn’t recognize her surroundings. She looks at me with blank eyes sometimes, like she doesn't know who I am. I don’t know what hurts more - the disease or watching my daughter vanish in front of me while still being alive, and I can’t stop it.” - Arifa, mother

Doctors say she urgently needs long-term immunosuppressants, neurological MRIs, and infection prophylaxis to survive the next 6 months. This will cost INR 8 lakhs, a sum this shattered family cannot afford.

After her husband’s fracture, they have no income left but lakhs of hospital bills to pay. Arifa’s husband, Halim, a daily wage labourer, earned just Rs. 400 a day working in fields. Now, with a fractured hand and no work, this family has nothing left to keep Samima’s treatment going.

"Every rupee I had is gone. My son gave his bone marrow. My daughter gave her childhood. All I want now is for her to live. If we don’t get help now, I may lose my daughter…after coming this far." - Arifa

“I feel ashamed after losing hair due to chemotherapy.”

“I miss my school and friends so much, but I feel so ashamed and don't want anyone to see me like this. My hair’s all gone. My face has changed. I thought once the chemo was over, I’d be okay, but now it’s worse. I still try to stay hopeful because I really want to recover. I want to go back to school. I want to chase my dreams.” - Samima, 15