Bedford teenager who was diagnosed with cancer weeks after dad's death launches toy appeal with brother
A teenager and his brother have set up an appeal to help children at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) after receiving a life-changing diagnosis.
In late March – just a few weeks after losing his dad – 17-year-old Mohammed Khateeb Hussain was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left femur.
It’s a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer that typically affects teenagers during growth spurts, often targeting the long bones in the arms or legs.
The Queen’s Park teen – known as Khateeb – had surgery at the famous children’s hospital in London involving 3D-printed jigs and biological reconstruction as well as a donor bone from America.
But what really struck the teenager and his brother Zain was children’s inequality during Khateeb’s stay at the hospital.
Zain said: “We were humbled by how fortunate compared to some of the kids we still were. It’s truly a different world in there with some of the kids never being able to enjoy the wonders of life outside the hospital walls.”
The 25-year-old went on to say: “As Khateeb went into his surgery, and I was waiting for 12/13 hours alone, I saw a child in the bay across me looking sad as he had only just came back from surgery the day before and was still in pain. We had a Minecraft toy with us and gave it to him and it completely bought him back to life and I still keep in contact with his mother everyday.”
And that’s when the brothers struck upon the idea to give back and raise £6,000 to pay for at least 100 new toys for the children at GOSH. They will range from soft toys and LEGO to dolls, colouring books, action figures, and board games.
Khateeb is doing well post-surgery but is unable to put any pressure on to his left leg.
Zain said: “It’s all baby steps at the moment with hopefully the use of crutches within the next three or four months – starting to walk again on his feet can take up to a year.
“But one thing though that we can’t fault throughout this whole thing is his spirits which comes from our belief. He’s had his head held high throughout the last few months being adamant and determined to become cancer free.
"As Muslims, we grow up learning of charity being a key pillar in Islam and being blessed to come from a community within Queen’s Park. Our upbringing here where hundreds of charity campaigns are always ongoing to support those in less fortunate positions than us has taught us to be appreciative of life and strengthen our faith.”