The Beginning...

My son is a very active boy. He doesn’t know how to walk—he always runs, climbs, and dances well. He’s a cute, lively boy full of energy.

At first, I remember we only thought he had asthma. I think this is where his story begins. He had allergies and asthma, and it seemed like it was just that—repeated episodes with a slight fever lasting 1-2 days, which would then go away. It was a cycle we had become accustomed to.

Then, when I got my immunization, I developed a fever and symptoms similar to COVID-19, but we managed. Soon after, Iven also developed a fever, along with diarrhea and very deep breathing while he was sleeping. His breathing was unusually deep, which concerned us. The doctor gave him antibiotics for his cough and medication for his asthma. At the time, we didn’t know the cause of his asthma.

I think this was when his immunity started to weaken, but he still remained very active. During this time, he often complained of itchiness or pain in his feet and legs. I can’t remember exactly, but there were instances when he’d ask us to scratch his feet before he went to sleep. Looking back now, I think this is when things started, but we had no idea what was really happening. He would have occasional fevers, but they wouldn’t last long.

In April, when we flew to Dubai, UAE, both of my kids had a fever that day, but they were still active. Over time, his fevers went from being occasional, to once a month, to twice a week, and eventually, to every day. The active boy who once ran around without stopping began refusing to walk because of pain in his legs. During his sleep, he would shout out from the unusual pain in his arms and legs.

We took him to several doctors, but the diagnoses varied. It wasn’t until we went to Al Jalila Hospital that they conducted extensive tests to find the cause of his fever. After all the tests, they diagnosed my son with Stage 4 Metastatic Neuroblastoma.

By November, his condition was getting worse, and by January, we had the official cancer diagnosis. However, even on December 31, he was still able to dance, despite feeling pain in his body and neck, and the fever that persisted on and off.