ABU DHABI // After Amel Boukhris gave birth to her third child, her breast milk turned green.
A few months later, when she was pregnant with her fourth child, she felt a cyst in her left breast.
Mrs Boukhris, now 38, went to three different hospitals and received three different diagnoses.
One of the hospitals said she was too young for a mammogram.
After her fourth baby was born, she did not go back for further examinations, dedicating her time to the care of her children.
But during Eid Al Adha that same year, something strange occurred.
"I dreamt that my kids were telling me that they need me," Mrs Boukhris said. "And the lamb we had slaughtered [for Eid] had a cyst filled with water."
Taking that as a sign from God, she scheduled a mammogram for the next morning and the results were shocking - she had stage-three breast cancer.
"I was told I was in a bad situation and that I needed treatment immediately," Mrs Boukhris said. "I asked them, 'What if I chose not to do the treatment?'
"I still remember the words of the doctor. She said, 'You will die, my baby. Your children need you'."
Mrs Boukhris, a religious woman, did not want a male doctor to operate on her breasts so she flew home to Tunisia where she knew a reputable female surgeon.
After a double mastectomy, Mrs Boukhris was told her follow-up treatment would cost US$200,000 (Dh734,600).
"I wasn't doing financially well and I was not insured in Tunisia because my husband was working in the UAE," she said.
At that point, Mrs Boukhris said, she left her destiny in God's hands and looked to Him for strength.
"Every day I would pray," she said. "I would ask God to cure me, for he is the one who created the disease and can cure it."
Within 24 hours, Mrs Boukhris received a call from her husband with good news - a Dubai hospital had agreed to treat her at no cost.
She said this "miracle" strengthened her faith in God. Her resilience was evident throughout her two years of chemotherapy.
"I lost my hair and my breasts were gone but I never cried," she said. "I always kept a smile on my face."
Despite the trials she has faced, Mrs Boukhris holds no resentment.
"My illness has relieved me from the loneliness I've been enduring all these years," she said.
"Through it, I have met loving, sincere and caring people.
"It has made me pursue my inner passions, including writing and trading."
But life has taken another turn. After a routine blood test it was discovered that Mrs Boukhris may now have liver cancer.
She shows no fear.
"The same way God has given me strength the first time, I know I will find it again," Mrs Boukhris said.
mismail@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
DC%20League%20of%20Super-Pets
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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
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
CREW
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
