At just four years old, Farihah, from London, experienced two common symptoms, but then one day she couldn’t move her leg and was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer
At the age of four, Farihah was like any other child, attending nursery, playing with toys and spending time with her family. But one day, she was suddenly left unable to move her leg after two common symptoms led to a rare but life-threatening diagnosis.
Farihah, from East London, was just four years old when she started suffering from unexplained nose bleeds and bruises. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, the now 18-year-old said: “I would have a lot of wounds on my body, but I wouldn’t remember hurting myself or anything. They would pop up, come and go.
“I was also having nose bleeds, but they weren’t your typical nose bleeds – it was quite a lot, and it would take a while to stop. The nose bleeds could be every other day, and they were out of nowhere.
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“Then, during my second week of reception, I was about to leave the house, and I had this weird sensation in my leg. I felt like I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t pick up my right leg.
“My mum thought it was an excuse not to go to school, but I generally couldn’t walk. That’s when my mum thought there was something wrong.” During this time, Farihah was also feeling fatigued and lethargic.
Farihah was taken to the GP and referred for further tests, but nothing could have prepared the family for what followed.
In October 2011, the four-year-old was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare form of cancer. “They told my family, while I was sitting outside with my uncle, and they were really heartbroken,” Farihah shared.
“But the word cancer didn’t really mean much to me at the time, it just meant I was unwell and I needed to be in hospital.”
She reflects back and said she is “so grateful” for how the team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explained her diagnosis to the then-four-year-old. “I just thought I would have been left in a cloud not knowing, but they broke it down for me and reassured me that I was going to get better.”
On hearing her diagnosis, even at such a young age, Farihah remembers feeling “relieved”. She explained: “At the time, I was confused, but I also felt relieved in a sense, because I knew that I was being treated. I had been feeling ill for so long, and thinking ‘nothing is getting better’, but I was very reassured knowing that I was in a hospital for children.”
Farihah began an intense two-year course of chemotherapy treatment, which caused some difficult side effects, including her hair falling out three times and trouble walking. “During chemotherapy, I felt nauseous every single day, and I couldn’t walk properly, so I was in a wheelchair for most of my treatment, for around two years,” she shared.
“I also couldn’t swallow food properly, so I had to be fitted with a feeding tube while in hospital.”
While it was around 14 years ago, Farihah still has memories of her time in the GOSH hospital, including on her fifth birthday. She said: “Unfortunately, at that time, no one could visit me. The staff were great, they played games and did activities with me and I had lots of gifts. They got me a small cake too.”
On another occasion in 2013, Farihah had what she thought was a routine appointment, but was greeted with the best possible news. “I thought, ‘What is going on here?, then I saw a big banner with my name and I was told chemotherapy had ended. It was a really happy moment for me – I felt relieved.
“My family and I didn’t realise they were going to do that, it was really special. It felt like a dream.”
She added: “After that, I still had complications with my right leg – I couldn’t walk for about a year, so I was back in the wheelchair. It took about two years to get back to normal. It was a long process.”
Farihah also said it took some adjusting going back to school, particularly with feeling tired and having gone through such intense treatment. But today, the 18-year-old has remained cancer-free and is currently sitting her A-Levels in the hope of attending university to study film, with dreams of becoming a film director.
And she says her time in hospital sparked her interest in pursuing film, “During my time at GOSH, I spent a great deal of time watching films, and the team would sit with us in the ward and watch films. As I grew up, my love for films kept growing.”
Reflecting on her time at GOSH, Fariah adds: “They built such a safe environment for me, it was like a home. They provided company to me and my family, it’s something I won’t forget.
“When I look at photos of that time, I realise that I overcame something really, really big. I feel proud. I think I was treated at the best hospital, it couldn’t have been any better. They engaged with me and made me feel less isolated – it was more like a family.”
GOSH Charity’s Build it. Beat it. appeal is raising £300m to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, which will give more children with cancer the best chance possible. To find out more or to donate, visit gosh.org/cancer