Written by: Dr Novera Khalid

During my morning round in the hospital, a voice suddenly struck my ears.

“Mama, one day I will have my long hair. Will you bring fancy hairpins for me.’”

Beside me, little Saira was lying on the bed. She was pale, with an IV line in her left hand and a drip hanging beside her on the stand.

“ok… then u will visit me with long hair and we will have picture together…Things will get better soon,” I said.

I looked at her, and she smiled…

Saira was only six years old—a child battling blood cancer.

Every day, thousands of children are treated for malignancies at the Oncology Department of Children’s Hospital Lahore. They fight a battle that is far from easy. Away from school, classmates, playgrounds, and cricket grounds, they become familiar with hospital corridors, the smell of iodine, repeated needle pricks, medicines, chemotherapy and vomiting.

A cancer patient may lose their hair, but they should never lose hope.

In our society, cancer is often considered a disease........

© Daily Pakistan