A fundraiser has been launched by the family of a boy, 6, from Harrow who sadly had his leg amputated after being diagnosed with bone cancer.
Saif Mubarak, who lives in Harrow, is currently undergoing a blood transfusion at Northwick Park hospital after his last chemotherapy.
The funds will be used to obtain a bionic leg, and help with home alterations, giving Saif the “freedom and flexibility of movement throughout his lifetime.” As stated in his Go Fund Me page.
His family go on to say, “Saif’s right leg was amputated a week ago after being diagnosed with the rare form of bone cancer, Osteosarcoma.
“His parents had to decide life over limb to save him from the cancer spreading and becoming terminal.
“On 17th December 2021, our lives changed forever – our legendary five-year-old avenger battles cancer.
“Allow us to introduce this cheeky chap to you – say hello to our beautiful son Saif Mubarak. Nine times out of ten when you meet him, this boy will have an infectious smile on his face or be giggling away no matter what he’s going through.
“He’ll engage in a heartfelt conversation with anyone or everyone whether you’re 8 or 80, easily charming you as he does. If he’s not giving you a low down from his extensive knowledge of cars and motorbikes then he’s confidently letting you know about the ‘all-boys trip’ he has planned with no adults and only halal chicken nuggets allowed.
“In his 5 years of blessing us with his presence, he never had any health concerns or caused us any alarm. In fact, up until December 2021, Saif was enjoying a full life being the centre of attention with loving parents and two older brothers who absolutely dote on him.
“On the 17th December 2021 our charismatic and energetic little 5 year old complained of a pain in his knee after going for a walk, in preparation for a family holiday over the Christmas break.
“Our initial reaction was to dismiss this as we all know how boisterous kids can be and we put it down to a minor strain. When swelling appeared the next day, we took him to A&E to figure out why.
“Since then, our world has become a completely different place…
“After a series of scans and biopsies which left us sick with worry, our son was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his right knee – a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form bones.
“Our world as we know it has completely turned upside down. From that moment on, the months that have followed have been a challenging journey of multiple rounds of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, scans, tests, medication and meetings with consultants.
“As parents you do whatever is necessary to keep your children safe, healthy and pain free and yet here we were being tested, trying to be brave for our son who was having decisions made about his leg in order to save his life.
“After exploring as many options as was possible given the diagnosis, after gaining second opinions to make sure we were doing the right thing by our son, our champion Saif underwent surgery on Thursday 7th April to amputate his right leg above his knee.
“When he woke up in the intensive care unit and said to Duncan, the doctor on duty, that he ‘needed an apple juice because no one gave it to him in the recovery room’ you could be mistaken that he wasn’t really taking in what had happened him to him. Two minutes later he asked to speak to the surgeon who ‘chopped off my leg because I want to know exactly what he saw inside it’.
“His fearless attitude to life, his resilience and his high spirit are inspiring to all of us. His family and friends have drawn on this infectious energy and we as a family have found newfound strength that helps us to make the most educated and informed decisions in the face of such a challenging life experience.
“It has changed our family forever, bringing us all even closer, especially our older two sons who just want their little brother to be ok.
“Saif is now recovering from his surgery and has to endure another 4 months of chemotherapy before he is given the all clear to embark on his first steps towards the rest of his life.
