Cape Town - A Green Point family is appealing to the public to assist in making costly treatment accessible for their 17-month-old daughter, following a vicious progression of stage four neuroblastoma.
In just one week, Mairah Hassan’s cancer became worse and the family is appealing to the public to assist by donating towards the combination treatment, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, she requires.
Mairah was diagnosed on February 26, 2021. Prior to the diagnosis, Mairah had suffered recurring fevers and experienced a loss of appetite, said her mother, Jenna Cook.
“Three doctors told us it was TB and the last doctor we went to slipped on her gloves, and as she did so, she told me, ‘I'm inclined to think that this is teething’, and 30 seconds later, her eyes shot open and she felt a lump.
“The next day when my daughter was admitted, they did an ultrasound and they found that it was a tumour in her abdomen and they also saw lesions in her liver,” Cook said.
Scans showed the cancer had spread to Mairah’s bones and bone marrow. “The other bad news that we also got is that Mairah has a genetic mutation which is commonly associated with neuroblastoma, which was driving the progression of her disease,” said Cook.
After rounds of chemotherapy and scans thereafter, the progression of the disease continued which prompted the family to seek medical advice abroad, in consultation with their doctors.
Scans done last week showed the cancer was continuing to become progressively worse, with Mairah losing her hair and a large tumour developing on her cheek.
The combination therapy will see the chemotherapy administered in South Africa and an immunotherapy drug administered in America.
Cook said she has had to give up her job as an advocate at the High Court due to her daughter’s pressing medical needs. Mairah’s father Irfaan Hassan said: “My daughter means the world to me, and as a father I would like to give her the world. However the cost of this treatment is so exorbitant and it kills me knowing her chances of survival hang in the balance because of a lack of funds.”
Donations can be done via Quicket, https://www.quicket.co.za/fundraisers/139540-mairahs-miracle/, or GoFundMe under “Mairah’s Miracle”, https://gofund.me/19840f45, or via NPO Cupcakes of Hope with donations referenced “Mairah Hassan”.
