When a baby is about to be born, all parents wish for the child to be healthy. Whether it is a girl or a boy does not matter. For parents, no blessing is greater than having a healthy child. But the world does not always revolve around peace. Sometimes it shows its other side to test us — to measure our patience and resilience, to challenge our hope and efforts.
Ava Zarouk was born on November 12, 2013. She is another child who has recovered thanks to the Royan Cord Blood Bank. Her mother and father shared her life story with us. Let’s read it together.
Ava’s mother says: “When Ava was born, she was healthy, but she had sleepless nights. She would cry and scream. Even when we took her to the doctor, they said it was normal and nothing to worry about. Since I couldn’t sleep at night either, at first I didn’t pay much attention, thinking it was normal. But when my daughter’s sleepless nights became prolonged, I became worried. At night, we had to move her on our laps to calm her down. She needed acetaminophen to settle.”
After her two-month vaccination, three days later, we noticed a very small swelling on the left side of her neck. At 2 a.m., I told my husband it wasn’t normal. It seemed one side of her face was swelling. He said it was normal; babies can get chubby. But I insisted it was swelling and not normal.
That night passed, but the next day we went to the doctor. The swelling had increased, and she had a fever so high that her pillow was completely soaked.
The doctor said it was nothing special, just a vaccine reaction, and there was no problem. For a month, we visited different doctors, but none considered it abnormal, and no tests were done. Finally, one doctor, after seeing the child, asked why no tests had been done. We quickly ran tests. I remember it was Mother’s Day. The test results showed that her white blood cells were not in good condition. The doctor said that if this test was correct, it was not a good sign.
We repeated the tests, and it was confirmed to be accurate. Our only child was not well and had to be hospitalized. The doctor emphasized not to delay even a single day.
I asked the doctor, “Does she have cancer?” He said yes, “The symptoms indicate cancer.”
We couldn’t believe it, but the doctor insisted she must be hospitalized immediately. We admitted her to Babol Hospital. We knew what disease our child had.
She was in the emergency ward for a week, and there was no space for regular hospitalization. They constantly ran tests and sent them to Tehran. We waited for the results. During the first two weeks, we were confused and helpless — only IVs were administered and tests conducted.
Ava’s mother says: “At my insistence, we transferred her to Tehran. She was admitted to Mofid Hospital. Her spleen was very enlarged, her body bruised, and we witnessed death in front of our eyes. Her platelets and white blood cells were reduced, and her vital signs were very bad. My daughter was four months old at the time.”
God Took Our Hand
Ava’s father says: “Doctors diagnosed Ava with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML). This is an aggressive myeloid malignancy with a chronic course, where the disease cells maintain the ability to mature and differentiate. The only treatment was considered to be a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, no suitable donor for a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant could be found for our daughter.”
“We were very worried and searched for a treatment. Several chemotherapy sessions were performed to reduce the size of her spleen, but chemotherapy alone was no longer effective and a transplant became essential. Finally, on October 3, 2014, Dr. Amir Ali Hamidiyeh, a pediatric hematology and oncology specialist and head of the Comprehensive Stem Cell Transplant Center at the Children’s Medical Center, who is an expert in stem cell transplantation, recommended a cord blood transplant as a treatment option. A suitable sample from the Royan Cord Blood Bank with a 5/6 match was found for Ava.”
Ava was hospitalized for one month and received care and treatment at Mahak Hospital for six months. Mahak supports children with cancer.
After six months, Ava fully regained her health. She is now in the second grade, a very intelligent and playful child who learns lessons well from the very first teaching session.
We Intended to Store Ava’s Cord Blood, But…
Ava’s father says: “We intended to store our daughter’s cord blood, but our knowledge was limited. When my wife was pregnant, we decided to store it, but we thought we had to request it at the time of delivery. However, during delivery, we were told we should have requested it beforehand, and by then it was too late…”