The Cancer Story

Patient’s Name: Hiyam (Najaf, IRAQ)

Procedure: Distal Pancreatectomy & Splenectomy for Pancreatic Cancer/ Chemotherapy

Consultant: Prof. Igor M. Sauer (Surgical Oncology)

Prof. P.M. Chlag (Medical Oncology)

Patient, Hiyam Sear Adnan Khalil was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – an adenocarcinoma in the tail of her pancreas. The 55years old, mother of two young girls wanted to do only a few things in her life. In her own words, she wanted to see her daughters graduated from the university, wanted to see them married, see their children and wanted to play with them, wanted to attend her grandchildren’s wedding and wanted to see her great grandchildren. Hiyam’s world was devastated as her, a few things had become like an impossible dream for her. Her husband, Adnan Khalil an oil dealer in Iraq wanted to fulfill all her dreams, her wish to live long. Adnan first heard about Karmal, from his doctor, Dr. Mohammed Jabber Al Kureshi, an oncologist in Iraq who diagnosed Hiyam with the cancer.

For Hiyam and Adnan, Dr. Mohammed contacted Karmal. Karmal representative gave them an option for Charite International Hospital & University, Berlin, Germany. Adnan agreed to it. Karmal arranged the call to Dr. P. M. Chlag, a leading medical oncologist from Charite International, who asked for the medical history of Hiyam. Dr. Chlag reviewed the reports and asked Hiyam to visit the hospital. Karmal made the necessary arrangements for Hiyam and Adnan’s visa and travel. Both of them reached Germany with the great hopes and expectations. Karmal representative, Reese who worked as an interpreter as well also accompanied them.

The team of the leading oncologists- Prof. Sauer & Prof. Chlag conducted a surgery for Hiyam. She had a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy during which they got out the entire tumour, they could see along with 80% of pancreas and all of spleen. Luckily no metastases were present and only one of the lymph nodes was affected. The surgery went well and after 2weeks Hiyam was discharged from the hospital. Prof. Chlag advised Hiyam to take chemotherapy sessions to avoid the recurrence of the tumor. On the advice of the doctor, Hiyam decided to take 6months chemotherapy cycles, for that she had to keep coming to Charite after every 3weeks.That was again difficult for Hiyam, so that she decided to stay in Germany for that duration. Karmal made this possible by working on her visa extension and made arrangements for their accommodation.

As predicted by the oncologist, she tolerated chemotherapy very well with no complications. After 3cycles, Hiyam showed tremendous improvement and doctors declared that she doesn’t require chemotherapy anymore.

“When the doctor informed us that Hiyam had Pancreatic Cancer and had very few hope to live (I discovered that only 1 in 20 (that’s only 5%) of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the body or tail of the pancreas can actually be operated on), she told the doctor that there were only a few things she needed to see, really needed to be alive for,” describes Adnan.

“She said, ‘I need to see my daughter graduate from college, both of my children get married and I need to see grandchildren. I need to attend their birthdays, their weddings and to present at the birth of my great grandchildren. These are the only things I ask that you keep me alive for—for as long as it takes.’”

“From that day to her surgery, I have prayed to the Allah, for Hiyam and for her dreams of a long life. May she lives for hundred years. Till that day I only prayed for her but since that day I have prayed for all those who helped my wife and me to realize her dreams. I am thankful to Dr. Chlag & Dr. Sauer who saved her life. May peace be upon them!”

“But above all I would like to thank Dr. Mohammed and Reese from Karmal. In my country it is said that a camel is more precious than the water. Water saves your life in the desert but the camel shows you the way to reach an oasis. Karmal was like a guiding star that shows you the correct way to your destination. Shukran.”

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Patient’s name: Maraya Ludwig (Boston, USA)

Procedure: Gastric Bypass Surgery

Consultant: Dr. S. B. Singh

Maraya was 127.46kg when she decided to undergo the weight loss surgery. She decided to loose her weight after her father’s sudden demise due to a heart attack. Maraya said that nobody in her family took care of themselves and all were over-weight. Her father’s death was an eye opener for her. She wanted to live long and healthy for her kids and for herself. Weight management programs never worked for her so she decided to take an alternate way to reduce weight and get back into the shape.

Gastric bypass surgery sounded the best option to Maraya, but there were certain challenges. US clinics offered the surgery for more than USD50000. Maraya’s insurance company denied the insurance claim for any cosmetic surgery. Conscious for health and desperate to get back into the shape, Maraya chose to travel abroad for the surgery. She decided to come to India as she trusted Indian doctors and had seen gastric bypass surgery video performed by Dr. S. B. Singh. Maraya contacted karmal.org to discuss her case with Dr. Singh. After reviewing her case Dr. Singh asked Maraya to come to India. Initially she was reluctant to ask about the cost of the surgery. Karmal quoted USD12000 that included her air-fare, 10 days of stay in India (4days in hospital), her meals, and a rejuvenation trip to Taj Mahal. What else, she got her peace of mind and regained her health.

“I was not always overweight. But I did not give any thought to what I ate or to the activities I was doing. When I in university, I gained weight quickly. By the time I was 20 years old, I was up to 160–170 pounds. That same year, I got married and by the time I was 21 I was pregnant, and I gained more weight. I had my second child when I was 22. The next thing I knew I was morbidly obese. At my heaviest I was anywhere between 250–281 pounds. That is a lot of weight on my 5’2” frame.

My dad died a month after my daughter’s first birthday. He was 53 years old and died of a massive heart attack. He never took care of himself throughout his life. He was hypertensive and diabetic. I never got to say goodbye, and my children never got to know their grandfather. That is when I drew the line against my obesity.

After my dad’s death, I started to realize that I was almost following my father’s footsteps. I was short and round like him, and I was heading in the same direction. I did not want to leave my kids and my family that early. That is when I started looking into weight loss surgery as physical training and diet was not for me. I never had the patience to do so.

It took me a couple of years to come to my decision. I wanted to try to lose weight on my own. After many failed attempts I went to a seminar to learn more about my options. It took me another year after that to set up a consultation with my surgeon. Once I met with the surgeons, everything fell into place except one. The cost of surgery was too high. I am being a housewife with a limited source of income for the family couldn’t afford such a costly surgery. Then a friend suggested looking over the internet for the alternates. I saw a video of the surgery performed by Dr. Singh. I wanted to talk to him as it was mentioned there that the India is the most affordable and reliable destination for healthcare. I send my query to the website, Karmal.org and I received an instant reply. The karmal representative, Joyce explained to me why Karmal was the right choice for me, and I completely agreed. Joyce quoted USD12000 as the cost of the entire trip and the surgery.

Unlike my previous decisions, this was quick as I was convinced to go to India. My travel arrangements were made by Joyce. When I reached India, I was welcomed by Joyce. I couldn’t imagine that I was meeting the same person I used to talk to. I was taken to a nice, luxury hotel and then to the Hospital. I found Dr. Singh highly qualified and skilled clinician. My surgery was planned for the next day. After the surgery, I was in the hospital for 2more days. Joyce was constantly there with me. Two days after, Joyce took me to Taj Mahal, it was fun. I enjoyed every bit of it, when I asked if there were any charges for the same, she replied that it was complimentary. So much in USD12000, that was great.

My life has changed in more ways than I had anticipated. I have so much more energy now. My kids and I will go for walks and bike rides. I can help my kids practice their sports and last more than 5 minutes. I am not tired all day at work. I can fit comfortably in an airplane seat. I do exercises that I enjoy—like hip-hop dancing. Something I really enjoy now is exercising! My husband and I do a lot more things with each other and with the kids because I have the confidence to go out into the world and enjoy it. It has been a lifestyle change, and a great one at that.

Thank you karmal, Joyce and Dr. Singh along with his qualified and supportive staff for not only changing my life but my views towards the life.”

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Technorati Tags: Affordable Health Solutions, Patient Testimonials