'No other symptom but tiredness': 11-yr-old Sharjah girl fights stage 3 cancer after diagnosis shocked her family

Eleven-year-old Tala is back in school now and may look like any other child. What many do not know, however, is that she is a brave warrior who fought her way through stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Jordanian girl — daughter of Osama, an electrical engineer, and Leena, an Arabic teacher — was happily staying with her family of two sisters and two brothers in Sharjah when life threw a grave challenge at her.

“Tala was like any other child. She was playful and mischievous, but she would get tired easily and claim painful and weak legs after any sporting activity,” her mother Leena said, recollecting the events from January last year. One day, the family noticed that Tala had a protruding lump on her abdomen. She was taken to a paediatrician, who referred her to a specialist. Her parents took her to four different healthcare centres in Sharjah but none could diagnose the big C.

After multiple rounds of empirical treatment, the abdominal lump subsided, so the family thought the problem was over. However, the symptoms resurfaced again, and this time, they were frequent and severe. Worse, at that moment, six precious months had already gone by and the cancer had already grown.

After four doctors told them that nothing was wrong with their daughter, the unconvinced parents tried a fifth one.

Remembering those days is never easy, Leena said.

“Carrying your child from one unit to another looking for an answer is emotionally draining. Not knowing the diagnosis is frustrating. Tala had no symptoms except tiredness, and every doctor we went to never gave us a clear-cut diagnosis.”

Their fifth doctor, Dr Nancy Nabil Kamel Israel, specialist in paediatric oncology at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah, was particularly curious about the abdominal lump, and decided to investigate it. Soon enough, she reached the exact diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dr Nancy noted that Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting immune system.

“In Hodgkin's lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control, causing swollen lymph nodes and growths throughout the body."

Dr Nancy explained that Hodgkin’s lymphoma is caused by a change (mutation) in the DNA of a type of white blood cell called B lymphocytes.

“The exact reason why this happens isn't known. The DNA gives the cells basic instructions, such as when to grow and reproduce,” the doctor noted.

“And upon reaching the diagnosis, it was then time to start with her treatment right away,” said Dr Nancy, who prescribed a four-month treatment plan with a monthly dose of chemotherapy.

“Undergoing chemo wasn’t easy for Tala and her super understanding and supportive family. The loss of hair, in particular, during the chemo was heartbreaking for everyone,” said Dr Nancy.

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