SRMS Hospital is thrilled to share a truly incredible and heartwarming story of resilience and triumph! Meet Afreen, a 14-year-old girl from Uttarakhand, who recently emerged victorious in her battle against a rare form of Leukemia (Blood Cancer), displaying incredible strength & courage. Thanks to the exceptional care & treatment provided by skilled doctors of Department of Pediatrics Haemato-Oncology Unit at SRMS IMS, Bareilly, who not only saved a life, but also provided hope to countless other families battling similar challenges.
Cancer in children occur less frequently as compared to infectious diseases, but are indeed, life threatening & difficult to treat entity! But as we say, ‘Every Child Matters’, immense attention is being paid nowadays, on treating them at National and International forum. However, keeping abreast with the recent technological advances, Pediatric Haemato-oncology Unit was established at SRMS Hospital in September 2022, wherein one of the first patients, Afreen, a 14-year-old girl of Class 7, came in a very critical condition. She was diagnosed with Leukemia that posed a significant challenge for her & her family. However, the compassionate & dedicated team under the guidance of Dr Sandhaya Chauhan, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, SRMS Hospital, Bareilly, immediately sprang into action, leaving no stone unturned in their quest to save her life. Doctor’s expertise, coupled with state-of-the-art facilities at SRMS ensured that Afreen received the most advanced therapies available, tailored
specifically to her unique condition.
Dr Sandhaya Chauhan shares, “Afreen came to SRMS in an extremely critical condition. Initially, her parents refused to the treatment due to financial constraints, but later with counseling & financial help through Ayushman Bharat Scheme, the patient’s treatment began. For nearly a month, Afreen was so sick that she required nearly daily transfusions of Blood and Platelets, & even had Bone Marrow Failure. But, slowly & gradually, she started responding to Chemotherapy. In April’23, she completed intensive phase of her treatment & is now being shifted to Maintenance Therapy. The tenacity of Afreen & her parents is overwhelmingly motivating to the extent that she wants to join her school soon after being discharged from SRMS Hospital. I strongly feel, despite the difficult & expensive treatment, all pediatric cancers should undergo proper investigations & treatment, as EVERY CHILD MATTERS.”
