Khushba Naz

“We never knew what cancer was till we took our four-year-old daughter Khusba Naz to SKMCH&RC in Lahore and held our hands in prayers hoping for a miracle of light to happen and it did.”

It all began a year ago, when, while changing a light bulb, Khusba’s noticed a tiny white spot in her daughter’s right eye, which grew rapidly over the next two days. Khushba’s parents had never heard of a cancer developing in the eye.

“It seemed so unreal and unfair – we had no idea about this disease. I was a mere carpenter who led a simple life with my family in a small village, Akora Khattak, in Swat. I had five children and Khusba was my youngest daughter. She was a lively kid and the light of our lives. But the reality hit us hard, being a carpenter with a modest income, it was already difficult to support my family of five and the mere thought of treatment seemed like a dream.

There was no option, I had to savemy daughter and bring back her smile. I wanted to see her play with her dolls again. We therefore borrowed money on several occasions, taking her first to Nowshera and then to Peshawar, where she was diagnosed with cancer of the right eye.

The world suddenly seemed so very dark, and, with so many financial worries, expensive cancer treatment seemed impossible until we got to the walk-in-clinic at SKMCH&RC, Lahore and received the welcoming
news that Khusba Naz could be treated there, and that this would be completely free of cost. By this time, we didn’t even have enough money left for a CT scan.

Khusba’s treatment at SKMCH&RC lasted for a year, but those chemotherapy sessions never broke our spirits and we instilled the same hope within her soul. Her mother and I never stopped praying and everyone at the hospital treated her with love and care beyond our imagination. They revived our faith in Allah and always replied confidently, “don’t worry about her. By the grace of Allah, the doctors at SKMCH&RC will help her see the light again.”

Finally, our prayers were answered, when SKMCH&RC doctors told us that her cancer had been cured and that her life had been saved.

Our deepest gratitude goes to Allah, and then to Imran Khan, for building SKMCH&RC which has helped Khushba see the colours of life again. We are also grateful to all the doctors, nurses and other staff at the Hospital who have given her a reason to become a doctor and to help lead a life free of cancer.

(Father of Khushba Naz, a cancer survivor kid)