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My name is Sehar, and I am raising funds for my elder brother, Mohd. Mansoor (38 yrs. Old) is suffering from a very rare Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia (MPAL)/Blood Cancer and is undergoing treatment at Private Hospital, New Delhi.
A detailed description of the diagnosis and ongoing treatment
He was doing well until April 2022. After the first week of May, he started showing various symptoms of fever, body ache, lost appetite, leg cramps and tiredness all the time and tiny nodules in the neck area. So, we thought it could be due to some infection or may be Covid19 or flu. We took him to the nearby clinic, where a blood test was done to find any possible condition. The doctor was alarmed by the abnormal high rise of total leukocyte counts and indicated that it could be either a pathogen infection or organ dysfunction; therefore, he underwent a series of diagnoses, including liver dysfunction, dengue, malaria, tuberculosis and other viral infection. All the reports were normal, and we were clueless about his health condition worsening daily. Next, we took him to the best hematologist in our city with all the reports, and that is when the doctor suspected that it could be the case of Leukemia and ordered the necessary tests to confirm the disease. Even then, we never thought it could be leukemia (blood cancer). However, after a more specific diagnosis (flow cytometry and bone marrow biopsy) and hematology test that confirmed it is a rare type of leukemia called Mixed Phenotype of Acute Leukemia (MPAL) which has both ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) and AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), Its affects fewer than 5% of the world's population. I have heard about CANCER many times in the newspapers, on social media, and with relatives that someone got cancer, unfortunately, but it could also occur to one of my family members was unimaginable. It shattered my whole family and me. This is the most frightening word even for an average healthy person. We all were terrified and unaware of what was going to happen next. My brother is a kind, generous, loving, and jolly kind of person who takes care of each member of my family. He is elder to my sibling and me. A few months back, he got a new job and was doing great. He was so happy, and everything was going in an intended way. He is a father of an adorable daughter who is 1.5 years old; seeing him in this condition made our hearts cry out. My parents were under the impression that cancer is not treatable, so they were more scared and always asked if he would be fine after treatment? I always say, "Yes," he will be fine, but deep inside, I don't have answers.
After confirmation, he has been admitted to Private Hospital New Delhi, where Dr. Rayaz Ahmed is taking care of the further treatment. His other diagnosis includes next-generation sequencing for cancer-causing marker genes that confirmed a CEBPA gene mutation that also correlates with leukemia. Dr. Rayaz Ahmed explained the situation and the treatment plan in depth. It includes multiple rounds of chemotherapy followed by routine hematology and cytology test to understand how his body would respond to the treatment. He advised us to maintain strict levels of hygiene around the patient to avoid any secondary infection during and after the chemotherapy. His first ALL induction chemotherapy started on 23rd June and was completed in two sessions till 30th June. However, it didn't help much to reduce the undifferentiated blast cells, which was unexpected; thereupon, the second round of CVAD-based chemotherapy started on 6th July, which was more vigorous and severe concerning side effects. It was given through the lumbar puncture followed by chemo into the spine. A few days later, he developed persistent abdominal pain, fever and follicular eruptions on the chest, trunk and extremities that disappeared within a week. We were at ease at this time when the doctor told us that the blast had become zero. But soon after a week, his undifferentiated blasts again increased to 17%, which is called retrieval of leukemia; hearing this, we became hopeless. Dr. Ahmed suggested FLAG chemotherapy followed by an allogeneic bone marrow stem cell transplant. That is the final course of treatment where the undifferentiated blast cells are persistently present in the bone marrow. That should be done as soon as possible, which requires an enormous amount of funds.
Financial need
My brother has elementary employer-based health insurance used up in the initial health diagnosis, and all our savings are consumed on medicines, hospital expenses and chemotherapy sessions. We also got some help from the RGCIRC-based NGO that covers the post-chemo follow-up diagnosis. The initial estimate provided by the hospital for the bone marrow transplant and subsequent chemo/Radiation therapy is around Rs. 50L ($65000 US); this will cover the surgery and post-surgery treatment, including medicines and hospital charges. Being a middle-class family, it isn't easy to gather this enormous amount of money in a short period. Few of our relatives and friends came forward and contributed to some extent, but it isn't enough to cover the entire cost of treatment. We are counting on every donation to help us gather enough money to afford the cost of treatment. We know it’s not going to be easy, but we have faith in God. Each donation will bring us closer to the possibility of restoring my brother's complete health. To support the cause and help us to reach more compassionate donors, kindly share the fundraiser on social media or any other platform that could help.
Your prayers, gratitude and generous help are all that we need to see my brother coming back into everyday life.
We are grateful for your help and wishes.
Thank you.
Sehar Rais
A detailed description of the diagnosis and ongoing treatment
He was doing well until April 2022. After the first week of May, he started showing various symptoms of fever, body ache, lost appetite, leg cramps and tiredness all the time and tiny nodules in the neck area. So, we thought it could be due to some infection or may be Covid19 or flu. We took him to the nearby clinic, where a blood test was done to find any possible condition. The doctor was alarmed by the abnormal high rise of total leukocyte counts and indicated that it could be either a pathogen infection or organ dysfunction; therefore, he underwent a series of diagnoses, including liver dysfunction, dengue, malaria, tuberculosis and other viral infection. All the reports were normal, and we were clueless about his health condition worsening daily. Next, we took him to the best hematologist in our city with all the reports, and that is when the doctor suspected that it could be the case of Leukemia and ordered the necessary tests to confirm the disease. Even then, we never thought it could be leukemia (blood cancer). However, after a more specific diagnosis (flow cytometry and bone marrow biopsy) and hematology test that confirmed it is a rare type of leukemia called Mixed Phenotype of Acute Leukemia (MPAL) which has both ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) and AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), Its affects fewer than 5% of the world's population. I have heard about CANCER many times in the newspapers, on social media, and with relatives that someone got cancer, unfortunately, but it could also occur to one of my family members was unimaginable. It shattered my whole family and me. This is the most frightening word even for an average healthy person. We all were terrified and unaware of what was going to happen next. My brother is a kind, generous, loving, and jolly kind of person who takes care of each member of my family. He is elder to my sibling and me. A few months back, he got a new job and was doing great. He was so happy, and everything was going in an intended way. He is a father of an adorable daughter who is 1.5 years old; seeing him in this condition made our hearts cry out. My parents were under the impression that cancer is not treatable, so they were more scared and always asked if he would be fine after treatment? I always say, "Yes," he will be fine, but deep inside, I don't have answers.
After confirmation, he has been admitted to Private Hospital New Delhi, where Dr. Rayaz Ahmed is taking care of the further treatment. His other diagnosis includes next-generation sequencing for cancer-causing marker genes that confirmed a CEBPA gene mutation that also correlates with leukemia. Dr. Rayaz Ahmed explained the situation and the treatment plan in depth. It includes multiple rounds of chemotherapy followed by routine hematology and cytology test to understand how his body would respond to the treatment. He advised us to maintain strict levels of hygiene around the patient to avoid any secondary infection during and after the chemotherapy. His first ALL induction chemotherapy started on 23rd June and was completed in two sessions till 30th June. However, it didn't help much to reduce the undifferentiated blast cells, which was unexpected; thereupon, the second round of CVAD-based chemotherapy started on 6th July, which was more vigorous and severe concerning side effects. It was given through the lumbar puncture followed by chemo into the spine. A few days later, he developed persistent abdominal pain, fever and follicular eruptions on the chest, trunk and extremities that disappeared within a week. We were at ease at this time when the doctor told us that the blast had become zero. But soon after a week, his undifferentiated blasts again increased to 17%, which is called retrieval of leukemia; hearing this, we became hopeless. Dr. Ahmed suggested FLAG chemotherapy followed by an allogeneic bone marrow stem cell transplant. That is the final course of treatment where the undifferentiated blast cells are persistently present in the bone marrow. That should be done as soon as possible, which requires an enormous amount of funds.
Financial need
My brother has elementary employer-based health insurance used up in the initial health diagnosis, and all our savings are consumed on medicines, hospital expenses and chemotherapy sessions. We also got some help from the RGCIRC-based NGO that covers the post-chemo follow-up diagnosis. The initial estimate provided by the hospital for the bone marrow transplant and subsequent chemo/Radiation therapy is around Rs. 50L ($65000 US); this will cover the surgery and post-surgery treatment, including medicines and hospital charges. Being a middle-class family, it isn't easy to gather this enormous amount of money in a short period. Few of our relatives and friends came forward and contributed to some extent, but it isn't enough to cover the entire cost of treatment. We are counting on every donation to help us gather enough money to afford the cost of treatment. We know it’s not going to be easy, but we have faith in God. Each donation will bring us closer to the possibility of restoring my brother's complete health. To support the cause and help us to reach more compassionate donors, kindly share the fundraiser on social media or any other platform that could help.
Your prayers, gratitude and generous help are all that we need to see my brother coming back into everyday life.
We are grateful for your help and wishes.
Thank you.
Sehar Rais
