KARACHI: There were stories that made one sad but there were also inspiring stories of resilience that were so uplifting and full of hope that they immediately pulled one out of that depression and cheer for the one telling the story during the launch of the cancer support group Humsafar at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) here on Saturday.

Said to be “a place for patients, friends and families to connect and share ... to exchange stories of strength and support”, Humsafar is the brainchild of Khusro Mumtaz, who has himself been through a recent tragedy when he lost his wife, his best friend, to cancer. It is his way of turning his personal loss into something positive.

“When things started getting worse and we looked for support, there was none,” Khusro said, adding that it was then that he contacted Dr Asim Fakhruddin Belgaumi, one of the oncologists at AKUH through a friend, who happened to be the doctor’s brother.

“I wanted the patients and the caregivers to have separate support groups as both have their own fears. Perhaps, we can have the sessions together but in separate rooms. We will also have a therapist in the group to play the role of a referee,” he said.

Cancer support group Humsafar launched

“I know that doctors and nurses who treat cancer patients may also need a support group so maybe we could expand it later on,” he added.

Oncologist Dr Yasmin Abdul Rashid, who was also moderating the programme, said when cancer is diagnosed, even the word ‘cancer’ evokes horror no matter what kind of cancer or at what stage one may be. “And while the patients are worried their family members and caregivers control their emotions so as not to add to the patients worries,” she pointed.

Head of the Department of Oncology at AKUH Prof Zehra Fadoo said that treating cancer patients, especially children, can be emotionally overwhelming and taxing for the physicians, too. “We all have our individual challenges but it makes it easier when you have someone to hold your hand through it,” she said.

“So Humsafar is a fine initiative from a patient advocate and someone who has gone through the journey,” she added.

Paediatric oncologist Dr Asim Fakhruddin Belgaumi said that people talk about the battle against cancer but in a battle someone loses. “With losing there is also a feeling of guilt. But this is not a battle. It is a journey. A journey where we will move forward while giving strength to each other,” he said.

Actor and social activist Hina Khawaja Bayat, who lost her mother and her husband, Roger Dawood Bayat, to cancer, also shared her story of a relative and caregiver.

“While receiving treatment, my mother never told me because she didn’t want to scare me. And she survived it initially. She told me 10 years later when the cancer came back. She survived that time also but then it returned the third time and she survived again although not for long,” she said, adding that it made her very angry though she did not go to see a therapist about it.

Six months after losing her mother, he sister was diagnosed of breast cancer. “She is fine now. She came out of it and I was there for her,” she said. “Then my hale and hearty husband was diagnosed to pancreatic cancer. We both tried to be strong for each other,” she said before adding that it has been five months since his passing away. “It is difficult when you lose your companion, your best friend,” she said.

Shazia Siddiqui, a parent who lost her daughter to leukaemia, said that her daughter was diagnosed at age 18 but she also went into remission. The cancer came back after she opted for the Pfizer trial in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic. “It damaged her lungs,” she said. “My daughter knew she was going but I was in denial,” she said.

Muniba, a young bone marrow transplant survivor, was there celebrating her 23rd birthday. She spoke about her battle where she was diagnosed and her world starting falling apart, her long beautiful hair started falling after she began treatment and she had no other option but to bear it all. “There is no other option but to fight. But today my cancer is gone and I am here celebrating my 23rd birthday. Don’t be afraid of cancer, make cancer afraid of you,” she concluded amid cheers and applause.

Nurse Khairunisa Huda, therapist Samia Chudrigar, vice president of Student Oncology Interest Group Ali Akbar and Dr Munira Moosajee also spoke.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2023