Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

4-minute read

21 August 2024

This is the inspiring story of Maleeha Moolla, a young woman whose life took an unexpected turn following a life-changing diagnosis…

Maleeha, who is supposed to be in grade 10 this year, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic germ-cell ovarian cancer last year at the tender age of 15. At first, she didn’t think anything of her symptoms of nausea and vomiting, but with the disappearance of her menstrual cycle, Maleeha’s doctor became concerned and sent her for a number of tests, which led to the devastating diagnosis of cancer. Maleeha says about the very first time she found out she had cancer: ‘my whole world was turning upside down’. Even though she was ‘very negative at the beginning’, Maleeha quickly learnt to accept the test she had been handed at such a young age. Her diagnosis came at the time when they were planning for her brother’s hifdh jalsa, which she made a point of attending, despite needing to be in hospital that day.  Everything happened very quickly after that; she began chemotherapy almost immediately and despite the doctor being practical and lacking a high degree of sympathy, Maleeha understood that treatment had to begin as soon as possible. Her intensive chemotherapy lasted from January to April, and after undergoing an operation in May, she was given the wonderful news in June that she had gone into remission.

Maleeha says that the most challenging aspect of her battle with cancer was the initial fear of not knowing what was wrong with her, and after her diagnosis, realizing that she knew almost nothing about chemo. In fact, the first time she actually found out the details of chemotherapy was when she herself started treatment. Her worry at that time was if she would even make it to the next day. The side-effects of the chemo were horrible and having to stay all by herself in the hospital was even worse.

Cancer has invariably affected her relationships with her loved ones. Her younger sister found her to be a stranger especially when all her hair fell out and she had to witness Maleeha’s illness, and this really affected Maleeha, although she understood it as her sister was only 7 years old when she was diagnosed. As for her friends; most of them were supportive, but some of them didn’t know how to approach her. She would have preferred friends to keep in contact with her and continue with normal conversations and messages. As Maleeha puts it: ‘I’m still the same person’, and her advice to friends of cancer patients is to ‘be the same, be normal with the people who’ve been diagnosed’. Maleeha’s best friend makes it a point to call her and distracts Maleeha with conversations that do not revolve around her cancer, and she feels that these chats were what got her through her day when she was at her lowest point. Her greatest supports are her mum, as well as her grandmother, who makes dua for her daily, gives out charity in her name, and does not allow the teenager to give up hope.

Maleeha copes with difficult days and the many setbacks that come with a disease like cancer by ‘trusting in Allah’s plan’, and holding on to Allah’s promise that ‘after every difficulty comes ease’. She feels that Ruqya and prayer have helped her tremendously in her quest to get better. Amongst some things she wishes people knew about living with cancer is that cancer is not a death sentence, and that Allah SWT does not put on a person more than he and she can bear. Maleeha’s perspective on life has changed since her diagnosis and after coming to terms with her sickness, she was a source of comfort to other patients in the hospital, advising them not to give up. She has learnt to be grateful for both the small blessings and the bigger ones.

Moving forward, Maleeha’s goals have also changed. Her radiologist has inspired her to want to follow a career in the medical field in the hope to help others with the intention of ‘making someone else’s heart happy’. Even though she’s a bit nervous, she plans to go back to school soon despite her challenges. Maleeha says, ‘I have to move forward’.

This young lady’s advice to someone newly diagnosed with cancer is to know that things will get better; to take it day by day; and to change their diet and eat healthy food. Maleeha believes that the body is an amaanat from Allah, so we need to look after it. She herself walks and does grounding, and advises young people to lead a healthy lifestyle so that their bodies can fight back if they are ever to be faced with a life-threatening disease. Her message to other teens is to stop going down the wrong path, to have faith in Allah, and to stop worrying about what people will think or say about them.

As she navigates her journey with cancer, Maleeha has faced challenges, discovered new strengths, and found support in places she never expected. Her story is one of resilience, courage, and an ever-evolving perspective on life.

Listen to teh full interview with Faaiza Munshi and Maleeha Moolla on New Horizons.