Husnain’s Story – Not just surviving but thriving.

“The doctors and nurses at Indus Hospital supported me through every step and every fall I took. They took care of me like family and made sure I didn’t give up. When cancer took my life away the medical staff at Indus gave it back to me.”

It started as swelling in his right leg, just above his knee. At first, Husnain dismissed it as a random injury he must have gotten whilst playing cricket with the neighborhood kids. Then the pain grew. It spread to other parts of his body and lingered long after he stepped off the field. Most nights, he would wake up in excruciating pain.

Frantic with worry, Husnain’s parents emptied their meagre savings into MRIs, CT scans, and a battery of other tests which revealed cancer in his bones and nearby tissue. The bone needle biopsies left Husnain numb for days, and he was forbidden from moving lest he trip and break his bones.

For further treatment, Husnain was transferred to Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) Korangi campus, Karachi, which provides quality healthcare completely free of cost to all patients. There it was revealed that Husnain’s cancer had aggressively spread to the surrounding tissues in his leg due to which the doctors had to amputate the limb. Following surgery, Husnain became a shell of his former self.

“The cancer hurt but the treatment left me with nightmares. I was vomiting all the time, and it hurt to eat, sleep and even talk. When I lost my leg, it felt like my life was over. Without the doctors and nurses at Indus (Hospital) I would not have continued with chemo and gotten better.”

Believing he had lost everything, his future, his friends, his chance at growing up, Husnain would regularly break down in tears. On those days, his nurses would sit by his bed and painstakingly encourage him not to lose hope. Every facet of his well-being was looked after by the staff at Indus Hospital who Husnain and his parents soon came to regard as family.

Through IHHN’s physical rehabilitation program, Husnain was fitted with a prosthetic leg and slowly began to relearn how to walk. His recovery consisted of small steps and regular falls but under the expert guidance of the medical staff at Indus Hospital, Husnain never gave up.

Today, 1 year and 11 chemotherapy sessions later, Husnain has fully regained his independence. When he recalls his journey, he is full of gratitude for the loving people who supported him every little step of the way.