A mother has told how her “whole world was turned upside down” when her two-year-old son’s unsightly bruise turned out to be a rare type of blood cancer.
Zakariyah, known as Zak, from Crawley, stubbed his little finger in May 2022, leaving it sore and pink at first. But within 48 hours, the finger turned purple.
His mother Amina, 40, rushed him to be checked by a pharmacist who initially thought the finger was broken and advised them to go straight to A&E at East Surrey Hospital.
The boy was given antibiotics, but when the finger worsened and turned black, Amina took him back to the ER, where doctors said they suspected his finger was infected.
Doctors assumed he was suffering from necrotizing fasciitis, a life-threatening disease that can develop within hours and cause blackened extremities.
Zak was rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, and admitted to the intensive care unit. For Amina and her husband Suhaib, the next 48 hours passed in a numbing whirlwind.
Her son was given strong antibiotics before being told that if the finger didn’t improve, it might need to be amputated. In the worst case scenario, you could lose your entire foot.
“Nothing made sense to me, my head was just spinning,” Amina recalls.
Zakariyah, known as Zak, from Crawley, West Sussex, (pictured with his mother Amina, father Suhaib and sister Kyra) stubbed his pinky finger in May 2022, leaving it sore and pink. But four days later he was diagnosed with cancer.
Zak was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare type of blood cancer that affects around 760 people a year in the UK.
‘It was a very scary moment for all of us. I felt like we were on an out of control roller coaster. There were many doctors and nurses in the room. Suddenly they were talking about putting in a port to allow blood to be drawn.
‘Fortunately, a blood blister formed on his toe. The skin was cut and black blood gushed out.
“The doctors at St George’s kept saying ‘thank God for the mother’s instinct’ because I kept pushing for him to be treated.”
The blood test results they received were devastating.
Although they confirmed he did not suffer from a “meat-eating disease”, Zak was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare type of blood cancer that affects around 760 people a year in the UK.
Two weeks after his cancer diagnosis, Zak was undergoing an intensive program of chemotherapy and steroid treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital.
The doses were gradually intensified over a three-month period and at one point Zak was receiving chemotherapy almost every day, which caused his hair to fall out.
Now four years old, he undergoes a lumbar puncture (which involves inserting a needle into the spine) every six months, along with once-a-month chemotherapy and several other medications administered at home, as part of his complicated treatment plan. .
Amina said: ‘I felt overwhelmed and extremely worried. First thing in the morning they told us he had cancer and that an ambulance was waiting outside. I felt numb. Everything was very rushed and happened quickly. There was no way or time to take it all in.
A few weeks after his cancer diagnosis, Zak was undergoing an intensive program of chemotherapy and steroid treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Now, at four years old, he undergoes a lumbar puncture every six months, in addition to chemotherapy once a month and several other medications administered at home, as part of his complicated treatment plan.
Amina says life with cancer is hard for Zak, with good days and bad days: when he feels sick, his jaw and legs hurt. But he still has a vibrant personality and loves going to school.
‘We were afraid of the unknown. Also, many times we were not given enough information and dealing with young doctors did not help at all. We were very afraid of what was happening and what was to come.
‘Zak didn’t handle it very well because he was so small and didn’t understand what was happening.
“We had many doctors examine him and as a result he was scared of all the doctors and nurses, absolutely petrified. It took him a long time to get over that.
“He was too young to describe how he felt when he was treated and he would just cry.”
The inability to get rid of infections, bruising and bleeding easily, and joint pain are telltale signs of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Abnormal bruising can be caused by low levels of platelets, which are a type of blood cell that helps blood clot, according to Cancer Research UK.
Amina says life with cancer is hard for Zak, with good days and bad days: when he feels sick, his jaw and legs hurt.
But cancer hasn’t dimmed Zak’s vibrant personality. Amina describes her son as “playful and very happy.” You never see him upset about anything.
‘Everyone loves Zak. He is a very active boy who loves to ride his bike, swim and play soccer. He never sits still.
‘Zak goes to school and loves it. He can be himself, a normal and active child, no one talks about his cancer. He can’t wait to get up in the morning and put on his uniform.
‘He has handled his cancer journey surprisingly well. He’s a little fighter. From being unable to talk or walk to riding a bicycle. He is an inspiration to all of us. Even when he feels depressed or in pain, he goes ahead and laughs.’
Zak’s treatment ends in June 2025 and will be followed by regular check-ups for at least five years.
After the family is given the go-ahead, they hope to go on holiday for the first time in three years with Zak’s older sister, six-year-old Kyra.
The four are now supporting Cancer Support UK’s campaign to provide heatable lavender-scented teddy bears to other children in Zak’s position.
The charity aims to send 1,200 heatable sensory bears to childhood cancer wards across the UK, to help provide some comfort this festive period.