Wide Abdullah, the mother of the patient said, “I feel grateful of the sincerity of the medical team which treated my daughter like their kin. I would like to recommend Korean hospitals to the UAE.”
Aljadeh Abdullah, a six year old girl suffering from a malignant orphan cancer with fatality rate of 70 to 80 percent dramatically and fully recovered with the help of a Korean medical team.
When she got result from MRIs on her hurt legs at a nearby hospital in January, 2013, a tumor with the size of six centimeters across and five centimeters down (6cm x 5cm) was found.
Her urgent parents wanted to get her cured but the medical team in Abu Dhabi was not certain whether the tumor is benevolent and malignant. Her chart of medical checkups was referred to Seoul National University Medical Center via UAE’s public health authorities.
Public health authorities in Abu Dhabi reached an agreement with the Korean counterpart in November, 2011 and have sent those patients who they cannot care for themselves to Seoul National University Medical Center. The medical team in SNU said the tumor is likely to be malignant after reviewing the chart.
On February 7, 2013, the patient and her parents went to SNU Medical Center and got a thorough medical checkup. Her tumor was diagnosed with malignant rhabdoid tumor. There are striated muscles in a human body. In her case, the tumor was found on striated muscles of her hips. This is a rare disease which occurs 0.6 out of one million people with high fatality rate of 70 to 80 percent, hence a bad cancer.
Various medical teams from pediatrics, pediatric orthopaedics, pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation, radiation oncology and radiology gathered to make a plan for her treatment. Once the girl’s cancer cells expanded into nerves and blood vessels in her hips, she cannot walk even after getting rid of them.
The medical team started with shrinking the size of her tumor. Professor Kang Hyung-jin in pediatrics applied anticancer treatments for five times from March 15, 2013 to June, 2013.
In the meantime, there were many challenges. The immune system of the patient receiving cancer treatment gets weak and it is easy for the patient to develop complications. Abdullah had also caught acute pneumonia and was in a critical condition in June of 2013, but fortunately she got better after receiving intensive care for two months from Professor Park Dong-jun in pediatrics.
. In July of 2013, she was in danger after her valves of the heart being infected. On July 5th, 2013, she overcame the crisis after the surgery exchanging her infected valves of the heart with artificial ones performed by Professor Kim Woong-han in cardiothoracic surgery.
When the size of the tumor became smaller, Professor Kim Han-su in orthopaedics removed cancer cells in her sciatic nerves and striated muscles impeccable. The remainder of the tumor on her leg nerves was cured with radiotherapy, which led her leg nerves perfectly normal and fully functional.
On October 30, 2013, Abdullah had an hematopoietic stem cell transplant surgery which was performed by Prof. Kang. This was the final phase to get completely cured where the remaining cancer cells were removed by strong anticancer treatment and healthy stem cells were transplanted. Those stem cells are the origin of human blood cells like white and red blood cells.
The operation was very successful. Last October, one year after the surgery, her cancer did not return. She was recovered completely. Medically, when the patient who had stem cell transplant with no signs of returning, she or he can be diagnosed fully cured.
Abdullah is the third child in a family of four kids with two boys and two girls. Now she smiles with holding her mother’s hands. This little girl spent last two years struggling with a cancer while repeatedly having been in and out of the hospital for sixteen times. During the period, her family and the Korean medical team have united together.
“The doctors and nurses in SNU Medical Center are very kind. They treated us like their family not just patients. Professors really grieved when my kid was sick and they were happy when she got better like her father. I really appreciate them,“ Abdullah’s mother said.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Salem, her father passed his hand on her face and said, “We stayed close with professors via e-mails. When questions came up, we can ask right away through translation service in hospital. I would like to recommend Korean hospitals to people in the UAE.”
Little Abdullah has only to receive medical checkups like CT scans and MRIs every three months. Although those tests can be done in Abu Dhabi, her parents adamantly insisted doing in Korea.
. When asked about difficulties in staying in Korea remote from the UAE, Mr. Abdullah said, “We stayed serviced residence in Seoul. At first, it is hard to adapt ourselves to new circumstances where people from the UAE can be hardly seen. Nowadays, there are an increasing number of people from my country, so it is a lot easier to stay.”
He picked Hangang Park and amusement places like Lotte World and Everland as his most memorable places in Korea saying that her daughter loves them. “I like Korea’s weather except winter because it is too cold,” he added.
Abdullah’s family left Seoul for Abu Dhabi on December 4, 2014 through Incheon Airport, and they are expected to come back to Korea and check the treatment result in February, 2015.
By Lee Jae-seung
