Hope 2016

hope Autumn 2016

A Newsletter for the Friends of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre

“A doctor at a local hospital told my parents in front of me that I might have only thirty days to live. I felt as if I was trapped inside a dark tunnel with nowhere to escape. I did not want to die so soon; there were things I had to do; go to a cricket academy, appear in the final matriculation examination, meet my friends - and have more fun.”

(Muhammad Talha Butt, a cancer survivor kid) ...continued page 3

You can give your Zakat and donation in any of the following ways: Deposit cash, cheque, or bank draft, made payable to ‘Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust’ at the Hospital, any of our Regional Offices, Diagnostic Centres, Laboratory Collection Centres or any bank in Pakistan.

Deposit cash at any easypaisa shop, UPaisa shop, UBL Omni Dukan or NADRA e-Sahulat Centre, nationwide.

Donate online at www.shaukatkhanum.org.pk Call 0800 11555 to have your cheque collected from your doorstep.

Expansion Project Planned for SKMCH&RC, Lahore Planning is currently underway for a new clinical building at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research C e n t r e (SKMCH&RC) , Lahore. This is planned as a nine-storey building and will represent the largest expansion the Hospital has witnessed since its inauguration, twenty-one years ago. In addition to augmentating all the existing c l i n i c a l services, the new clinical building will house a new specialized bone marrow transplant unit, new imaging modalities, the latest in radiation equipment, a new emergency assessment room, and will also have two floors dedicated to pathology services, providing support

not only for the Hospital, but also for the growing network of Shaukat Khanum Laboratory Collection Centres all over

Pakistan. This expansion will greatly enhance the Hospital's capacity to accept and to treat more cancer patients as well as providing greater opportunities for research, training and

education of healthcare professionals.

At this time, it is hoped that construction will commence in the summer of 2017, and will, Inshallah, be complete within two y e a r s thereafter. The new clinical building will be equipped with state-of-theart technology and will be built according to the latest international healthcare recommendati ons. This new p r o j e c t represents an excellent opportunity for supporters of S h a u k a t K h a n u m Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre to dedicate rooms and/or equipment in the memory of a loved one. For more information, please contact us on fundraising@skm.org.pk

Healing Together: Paediatric Focus Group The ancillary health services team at SKMCH&RC, Lahore have initiated a programme for newly registered paediatric patients and their families as a part of our holistic patient care programme at the Hospital. This is a two hour long monthly focus group, run by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of a

psychologist, a play-therapist, a nutritionist, and a physiotherapist. The aim of this group is to address some of the major issues faced by both patients and families who have recently been given news of a cancer diagnosis. The issues involved range from psychological issues such as anxiety

and depression to problems with diet and mobility. Good psychological health is imperative to fighting any disease, especially cancer and we hope that initiatives such as this will help augment our efforts to provide the best possible care to our paediatric cancer patients.

Peshawar Update Services at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), Peshawar continue to expand and we are delighted to be able to tell you that the radiology department is about to commission our MRI facilities in Peshawar, while paediatric oncology services have also now commenced at the Hospital. Work on installation of the new PET-CT scanner in the Peshawar hospital continues apace. Patients from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and adjoining areas are gradually being transferred for treatment to SKMCH&RC, Peshawar from SKMCH&RC, Lahore.

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HOSPITAL DEVELOPMENT

IGRT: A Move Towards High Precision Radiotherapy Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) are radiation therapy approaches that utilize multiple imaging and motion management techniques for highly accurate tumour targeting.

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore has had IMRT capability for many years, but has now also introduced IGRT, which is one of the latest methods of delivering radiation therapy in cancer treatment.

IGRT is especially used for tumours that

tend to move or change position, for example with breathing, such as prostate cancer and lung cancer. High precision radiotherapy techniques are important because radiation itself can become a cause of cancer if delivered to healthy tissue. Therefore, in order to make sure that the tumour is within the radiotherapy field, fiducial markers (gold seeds) are injected inside the target organ. The position of the marker seeds and thereby, the target tumour, is monitored both before as well as during

the treatment. IGRT allows not only more accurate delivery of radiation therapy but also lowers the risk of side-effects by preventing the healthy surrounding tissues from being irradiated. This upgrade is yet another example of SKMCH&RC's commitment to invest in the latest treatment facilities to stay at the forefront of technology in patient care. Currently, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital is the only hospital in Lahore using this high precision method of radiation delivery.

CANCER SURVIVOR SUCCESS STORY (From cover page)

Muhammad Talha Butt I am the second oldest child in my family and live in Gowalmandi with my parents and four siblings. In November 2011, when I was fifteen years old and studied in class ten, my life took an ominous turn.

One day, after I came back from school I had a sharp pain in my shoulder, radiating down to my arm. I screamed in agony -, the pain was so severe I thought it was my last day here on Earth. My mother took me to a local hospital where the doctors gave me pain-killing injections and admitted me right away. I stayed there for about three months.

During this time, I had several x-rays and CT scans, and then eventually, a biopsy.

I did not know what was wrong with me at that point, but then suddenly, my world came crashing down. The doctors told my parents in front of me that I might have only thirty days to live. They said the only possible solution was an operation, but they told my parents that this would be very risky, since the tumour was close to my heart. However,

the doctors at that hospital were not willing to take the risk and my parents were told to take me back home. I broke down. It felt as if I was trapped inside a dark tunnel with nowhere to escape. I did not want to die so soon; there were things I had to do; go to a cricket

academy as promised by my parents, appear in the final matriculation examination, meet my friends—and have more fun. I wanted to scream all this out loud but I just lay down quietly and cried.

That hospital did not have an MRI facility

NOW DONATE ONLINE, LEARN MORE AT: www.shaukatkhanum.org.pk

so they sent me to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore. Knowing my father worked at a naan shop, they scared us by telling us that SKMCH&RC is so expensive that we will not be able to set foot inside it. Despite this, I came to SKMCH&RC with my parents—it proved to be a life-saving decision. I came to the walk-in-clinic and voiced my fears; the doctor there was very encouraging and explained to me that the Hospital was built precisely so that the poor could have access to the best possible treatment. He told me that there were capacity constraints but that 75% of the patients are financially supported. Then he said, “When you get well and return home, you can tell them who can set foot in here.”

My treatment plan included chemotherapy sessions to shrink the tumour and then surgery. I had several chemotherapy sessions and during one of these sessions, a volunteer came to

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spend time with me. I will never forget him—he was the one who showed me the light at the end of my own personal dark tunnel. He told me how he was a cancer patient as well and he got well and was now studying for his FSc. That was the moment when I realized this person fought it and I, too, can defeat cancer—I decided to give cancer the toughest fight with every ounce of willpower inside me. During this time, I even wanted to give my final exams for class ten but I was too weak. I decided to continue my education as soon as I felt better.

My parents were briefed about the risks involved in the surgery. The tumour had attached itself to my left lung but the most alarming aspect was the fact that the tumour had come very close to my heart—it could kill me in a few days if left untreated. My parents decided to take the risk; this way at least there was a chance, even if only a small one, to save my life. My surgery was expected to be six hours long. As my stretcher was being rolled away towards the operation theatre, I felt the possibility of death very strongly.

When the surgeon came out of the operation theatre, my parents could not even muster the courage to ask him whether I had made it or not. Then he told them. My operation had been successful. They had removed the entire tumour along with a part of my left lung.

I was ecstatic when I was finally able to go home after finally completing treatment and being discharged, two and a half years after I first came to Shaukat Khanum. Since then, I celebrate two birthdays. The first one is in November, when I came into this world and the second one is in August, on the day I had my operation. My mother celebrates my second birthday with even more enthusiasm because that was the day when I was re-born.

I am currently in the second year of FSc. Against the odds, I am alive today and I want to make the most of this second chance at life. This summer, I came back to SKMCH&RC, Lahore to volunteer my services and to talk to other cancer patients—to ignite hope in their hearts, just as, all those years ago, another volunteer ignited hope in mine.

Please deposit your Zakat and donations at any of our local or overseas offices: LAHORE Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Marketing and Resource Development 7A Block R-3, Johar Town Lahore, Pakistan Tel: +92 42 3590 5000 Ext. 7004 Fax: +92 42 3594 5208; UAN: 111 155 555 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

PESHAWAR Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Plot No. 5-B, Sector A-2, Office Enclave, Phase-V Hayatabad, Peshawar, Pakistan Tel: + 92 91 588 5000 Fax: +92 91 589 2822 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

KARACHI Shaukat Khanum Regional Office Karachi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic Plot DDCH1, 1st Street, Phase VII Extension DHA, Karachi, Pakistan Tel: + 92 21 3587 2573, 3530 6363 UAN: 111 756 756 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

ISLAMABAD Shaukat Khanum Regional Office 2 Royal Centre, 106 West Fazal-e-Haq Road, Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: + 92 51 234 8275 Fax: + 92 51 234 8278; UAN: 111 155 555 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

MULTAN Shaukat Khanum Regional Office Hotel Ramada, 76-Abdali Road Multan, Pakistan Tel: +92 61 478 3344 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

Paediatric cancer survivors celebrating Independence Day of Pakistan.

FAISALABAD Shaukat Khanum Regional Office Office # 105, Mezzanine Floor, Centre Point Plaza, Jarranwala Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan Tel: + 92 300 840 1448 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk

GULF

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters.

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust International Humanitarian City Corporate Offices in Dubai Industrial City Building No. 4, 1st Floor, Office No. 112 P.O. Box 506032 Duabi, UAE Mobile: +971 50 102 1697 Email: skmtgulf@skm.org.pk

UNITED KINGDOM Imran Khan Cancer Appeal P.O. Box 786 Bradford, BD5 0YE, UK Tel: +44 12 7442 4444 Free Phone: 0500 786 101 Email: info@ikca.co.uk

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Imran Khan Cancer Appeal Inc. 4 Forest Park Dr. Farmington, CT 06032, USA Tel: +1 860 674 8865 Fax: +1 860 674 9007 Email: shkm2@sbcglobal.net

Published by the Marketing and Resource Development Department

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre 7A Block R-3, Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan.

Tel: +92 42 3590 5000 ext. 7004 | UAN: 111 155 555 | Fax: +92 42 3594 5208 Email: fundraising@skm.org.pk | Web: www.shaukatkhanum.org.pk © 2016 Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. All rights reserved.

No part of this newsletter may be used in any form without prior written approval from the Marketing and Resource Development Department.

CANADA Cancer Education Research Foundation 7800 Kennedy Road, Suite 101, Markham, Ontario, L3R 2C7, Canada Tel: (905) 470-8111 Fax: (905) 470-8121 Email: donation@cerfcanada.com