With a smile, the parents felt comfortable saying that both of their girls have recovered from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, ALL.
Yolyana and Barbara are cute 6 year old twin sisters . Barbara was two and half years old when she started suffering from persistent fever, pain in her back and difficulty walking. She visited more than one doctor; they all failed to diagnose her until blood tests revealed that she has leukemia. Her mother shared with us that on 20-6-2020 she was able to be admitted to 57357, which was a lifeline for them. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She received chemotherapy doses, where she started getting better after the first dose. Six months later, her sister Yoolyana got sick and was also diagnosed with ALL. Both received chemotherapy for 3 years and now they are in the follow up stage. Since Barbara was 6 months ahead she will start follow up every 6 months while Yolyana is following up every month. Chatting with Yolyana, she said that she likes the art therapy workshop, and used to spend a lovely time drawing there. The art workshop was great support especially during the periods when they were hospitalized, said the mother. Still they like to visit the art workshop and the friends they made there when they come for follow up.
A question popped into my mind, if one of the twin sisters was attacked by cancer, is it a must to attack the other sister? We asked Dr. Ahmed Emad, the twins’ treating doctor, who said, “it is not a must but if it hits one sister at an early age (less than 5 years), the possibility it hits the other one is high. And the younger their age the higher the possibility it hits the other sister”. Dr. Emad talked about the human aspect because as he said the doctor must have bonds with the patient so he or she can trust him. It was challenging to take a decision of admitting one of the sisters if needed, as the mother would have to leave one of them at home. Thanks be to God, they both recovered and now following up on Sundays, as the mother chose because it is a blessed day.