Doctors in Sharjah saved the life of a nine-year-old boy when they removed a tumour the size of a lemon from his nasal cavity.
The child, called Ibrahim, was experiencing difficulties breathing when he slept, so his father took him to hospital, where it was revealed the boy had a condition called Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA).
Ibrahim underwent an emergency operation to remove the 60g tumour, which was growing towards his eye socket, threatening his sight.
If the procedure had not gone ahead then, Ibrahim could have either bled to death or been permanently blinded, the leading surgeon told The National.
“There was a risk he could have bled to death or lost his vision and become blind,” said Dr Narayanan Janakiram, a specialist in ear, nose and throat and skull base surgeon at Medcare Hospital Sharjah.
“There was a very large tumour encroaching on his eye and his brain from his nasal area. It was around the size of a lemon.”
Dr Janakiram performed laser surgery to break the tumour into smaller parts which were then removed through Ibrahim's mouth.
The removal led to a sudden surge of bleeding from the tumour site which had to be stemmed.
Dr Janakiram said JNA usually affected boys and young men aged between 10 and 20, though in rarer cases it can be found in boys as young as seven.
Relief for family
While JNA tends not to cause cancerous tumours, it can be highly aggressive and can damage the eye socket, skull, brain and sinuses – which was the case with Ibrahim.
The operation, which took place in October, was deemed a complete success, but was nerve-racking for Ibrahim's family.
“We are overwhelmed by the care and expertise we received at Medcare Hospital Sharjah,” said the boy's father, Abdulla Al Awadi.
“Our gratitude knows no bounds for the team that gave our child a second chance at life.
“Ibrahim’s condition is significantly better than it was a month ago.”
Mr Al Awadi said he was so worried about his son that he lost 5kg from stress.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
