Fayyadh

Fayyadh, the third of four siblings, is a five-year-old boy from Betong, Sarawak. Before his diagnosis, his days were filled with play, naps, and joy—just like any other child. His mother shares their journey through his treatment:

The First Signs
Fayyadh has many hobbies. He enjoys playing Roblox, drawing monsters, and had just started school when he began to show signs that something wasn’t right. He had been having recurring fevers for two weeks, looked pale, and simply seemed unwell. We brought him to the clinic twice, but the fever never went away. His symptoms were dismissed as just a normal fever.

Naturally, I became worried when his condition didn’t improve. Following a family member’s advice, we brought him to the Emergency Department at Hospital Betong in August 2024. There, they did a complete blood count where the results showed signs of leukemia. Fayyadh was then referred to Hospital Sri Aman for another blood test, which confirmed the diagnosis: my son had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Upon confirmation, he was immediately referred to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) to begin his treatment.

Away from Home
Both Fayyadh and I had to adapt quickly to his diagnosis—there was no time to spare. Travelling from Betong to Kuching so suddenly left me distraught. I didn’t know how to cope with the overwhelming news that my young child had cancer. I cried the entire ambulance ride from Betong to Sri Aman, and again from Sri Aman to Kuching.

It was especially difficult leaving my other children behind, more so because Fayyadh’s younger brother is a special needs child who requires extra attention.

When we arrived at SGH and Fayyadh started treatment, I was so overwhelmed I could hardly listen to what the doctors were telling me. I feared the worst, especially because I believed there was a family history of cancer—Fayyadh’s aunt had cancer too, and I took care of her until she sadly passed away. To me, cancer felt like a death sentence. I couldn’t imagine losing my young son.

Challenges during Treatment
Two months into his treatment, something terrifying happened. During a routine PICC line cleaning—a procedure that allows long-term access for treatment and avoids frequent needle pricks—Fayyadh, who has a deep fear of needles, mistakenly thought it would involve an injection. Overwhelmed by fear, he broke down in tears, which escalated into a seizure that caused him to lose consciousness. He was rushed to the Paediatric ICU, where he remained under observation for two days.

Seeing him lie there unresponsive was one of the scariest moments of my life. We also found out that he had high blood pressure. Thankfully, he recovered quickly. Aside from that one frightening experience, the rest of his treatment journey went relatively smoothly without further delays.

Finding Strength in Support
The days went by in a blur, filled with trips in and out of the hospital ward. But seeing Fayyadh slowly getting better, and hearing words of encouragement from doctors, nurses, the Support Team from the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS), and other caregivers helped us get through the toughest times.

SCCS provided us with monthly financial aid, milk and diapers at the ward, medical supplies, and support group sessions with other parents. It may not seem like much, but all the help truly added up—especially with the cost savings from milk and diapers.

“Fayyadh has a very outspoken personality, but he listens well to his mum. He loves french fries, and it’s good to see that he still had his appetite during treatment—as long as he had french fries!” recalled Trisha, part of the SCCS Support Team.

“It’s always funny when we try to introduce him to the hospital’s school (Sekolah Dalam Hospital). Fayyadh refuses to believe that a school could even exist inside a hospital!” shared Trisha.

Though Fayyadh’s father works in Betong, he made sure to travel to Kuching on weekends and off days to be with Fayyadh and check in on how he was doing.

Moving Forward
After 7 months of active treatment, Fayyadh was officially discharged just recently, right before the Raya holidays in 2025. We were overjoyed to be back home, finally reunited with the rest of our family—just in time for Raya. I was so excited to prepare Raya treats and cakes for the celebration. Although our family often visited us during treatment, nothing compares to being home together again.

I’m incredibly grateful to my family for stepping up and helping take care of Fayyadh’s siblings while we were away.

Fayyadh will still need follow-up appointments at SGH every few months. To anyone going through a similar journey, I want to leave these words of encouragement: Stay strong, be patient, and don’t lose hope. Try not to let stress take over. Think positive. Children find strength in their mothers—so be strong, and they will be too.

SARAWAK CHILDREN'S CANCER SOCIETY