When your child is diagnosed with cancer…
by Imaan Khan
As we near the time of year when we celebrate the arrival of spring – of new life – the birth of trees and flowers, and the fragrance of both in the cool breeze, I would like to shed light on a cause that’s become very dear to my heart, and that is childhood cancer…
The subject may sound depressing, but it’s important to celebrate the lives of these young children, who’ve been dealt cards they never chose.
We’ve all been affected by this dreaded disease in one way or another. We’ve all had friends or family members who’ve been diagnosed with cancer and it immediately sounds like a life sentence but, as I’ve come to learn, cancer is just a word and NOT a sentence.
Last year was the greatest eye-opener of all, when my son, at the age of 7, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system,
I’ve sat for hours looking for the right words to describe that feeling but there are no words, considering that there is no gift greater than the love of a child; there is no sound more beautiful than a child’s laughter; there is no sight more amazing than your baby’s first smile.
But what happens when you are told that those smiles may be numbered – that this laughter may be silenced? What happens when you are faced with the possibility of no longer being able to hear those words: ‘Mommy’, ‘Daddy’…
Not only do you have to absorb this reality but you, as a parent, are now tasked with explaining this to your child. I had to look into big innocent brown eyes, so much like my own and say, ‘My boy, you’re not okay right now, but you will be’ – and at that stage I didn’t actually know what the future would hold for him or for us as a family.
As we entered November, everyone around us was scheduling holidays while we were scheduling scans and chemo sessions.
This is the heart-breaking reality faced by so many parents across the world when they hear that their children have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.
Despite this, my little boy’s smile never faltered. He endured so many doctors poking and prodding, operations and medications, yet he never felt sorry for himself. In fact, it is a common trait in all these little ones, we’ve come to find. They don’t feel self-pity. Every one of them face the challenge head on.
I would love to share more examples of why I believe that every single one of these children is so much stronger and braver than many of us could ever be, but that would leave me typing for the foreseeable future!
This is why I would like to ask you all, to join us on Friday, 9th September to celebrate the journey of each of these tiny little soldiers, as we undertake to raise funds for Cupcakes of Hope, an amazing foundation which assists and supports these little ones and their families during the most difficult time of their lives.
This quote possibly sums it up best: ‘Children with cancer are like candles in the wind who accept the possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere and yet, as they flicker and dance to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzles those of us who watch their light.” – Unknown
More about Cupcakes of Hope
Cupcakes of Hope raises funds through community-driven initiatives, which drive community interaction and grassroots cancer awareness, including ‘baking a difference’ for National Cupcake Day and the #Bake4Cancer fundraisers.
Cupcakes of Hope assists between 100-120 patients every month by paying for their medical and other day-to-day needs. They also help supply hospitals with much-needed medical equipment, PPE equipment, educational toys, as well as hospital room makeovers.
Cupcakes of Hope is committed to assisting people where they need it most – in their own communities and homes – to give them hope and direct support, so they don’t have to fight the cancer battles alone.
For more about them, visit the link below: