Marina: I love Ramadan in 57357, and Roa, a 57357 volunteer, encourages me to be strong to overcome the disease
Marina is a pretty 13 years old girl from Asyut governorate. When you enter her in-patient room you feel unprecedented liveliness and cheerfulness in the air. Her words are full of hope and determination to conquer the disease. Marina has great passion for life and is looking forward for her recovery, she says that she is stronger than cancer.
On the sixth floor of 57357’s in-patient section, Marina is proceeding with her treatment journey from acute myeloid leukemia. She received two doses of chemotherapy and is waiting for the third one. According to her response, Marina might need bone marrow transplantation BMT, but so far her blood tests showed that she’s responding well to the treatment. God willing, her prognosis and chances of recovery are good. Dr. Aya Abdullah, Marina’s physician reveals: despite Marina’s severe condition, she is positively responding to the treatment and improving, which reduce the possibility of the BMT. Dr. Aya added that Marina is a radiant hopeful soul, clearly affecting everyone around her, specially her physicians.
Marina’s mother: the Hospital gave me hope to see Marina healthy again. I am so grateful to Roa, the 57357 volunteer who succeeded to make Marina eat. Every day, I thank God for 57357 and for Roa and ask Him to abound them with infinite blessings.
We visited Marina in her room, her mother shared and recalled the story of her illness: we are from Asyut, in the beginning, Marina’s symptoms were a bloody cough, fever and severe pain when standing up. The doctor in Asyut asked for blood tests which showed that she had leukemia. People advised us to take her to hospital 57357, so we came from Asyut, and waited for 10 days for our turn to be admitted. We were scared as Marina, back then, was sick with fever. We used to call the Hospital to ask them on how to handle the situation until she was admitted.
“57357’s pediatric oncology consultant, Dr. Sonia Mahmoud, was straightforward with us, when asked about Marina’s condition”, added Marina’s mother. “She shared that there is a big possibility of performing BMT but she assured us that there will be treatment in all cases. After the first dose Marina started to get better, but she deteriorated after the second dose and was kept in the critical care. Thank God, she’s much better now, and we are waiting for the third dose,” she explains. “Today Dr. Aya told us that her tests are promising and her condition is improving” reveals the mother. “About Roa, the volunteer, she is an angel, she became Marina’s friend since the very first day we met at the clinic. I shall never forget her support to Marina when she was in the critical care, she used to visit her daily, talk with her, make sure that she eats well. Thanks to her, Marina’s morale is much better, now she has hope in recovery, she always waits for Roa’s visit and calls her often, shared Marina’s Mother with gratitude in her eyes.
Marina and Roa’s friendship reflects hope in cure
Marina: I love Roa a lot, when I first met her in the clinic, I was sick and scared, she talked with me and reassured me until I forgot my fear. In the day care she gave me papers and colors. I drew a tree, we colored it together, and she told me to consider every leaf in this tree as a nice day spent in 57357 until I recover and leave the hospital. She always tries to cheer me up, when I was in the critical care, I was sad, she came and brought me nice toys and sat beside me to feed me. When I see Roa’s smile I feel I’ll recover soon, I learned from her that difficulties and suffering will go away quickly and there will be nice days to come. I like 57357, there it feels like home because people love me and do their best to cheer me up. This is my first Ramadan in Cairo and in 57357, it is really different, every day I get visitors, decorations are everywhere even in my room. They gave me many lanterns and gifts, they make me forget about my sickness. I am even able to visualize myself coming back as a grown up to the Hospital to work as a doctor.
Roa: Marina is a lovely girl; I like her southern dialect, I have a lot of affection for her because she allowed me to be her friend despite her sickness and fear. We drew nice pictures together, she’s talented, she just needed someone to talk to as she needed reassurance. I wish her fast recovery, and will always be in contact with her.
Marina and Roa’s story is not just a 57357 story about Hope, it is a story of Egypt’s people who will always be united.
In 57357, we are all rallied around one objective: our children’s cure. Our volunteers are also heroes, the role they play in supporting and taking care of children is no less than the healthcare professional’s role.
Cheers to Roa and all our volunteers!