KUALA LUMPUR: Despite hopes for a miracle, Mohd Mahfiz Azmi said his family is prepared to accept the possibility of losing their child to cancer.
His youngest daughter Nur Maryam Ameena has been diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), a rare type of blood cancer in the leukemia group since she was nine months old.
Mohd Mahfiz said his daughter, now one year and eight-months-old, is in palliative care, with no further treatments available and no suitable medication for her illness since Nov 8.
"The doctors told us that this condition is rare and in Asia, it only occurs every two to three years.
"Doctors at two hospitals informed us that patients with this illness have no chance of recovery and they said the life expectancy of these patients depends on their own resilience.
"My daughter has also undergone chemotherapy previously, but the cancer cells did not decrease, and her abdomen swelled as her liver and spleen became inflamed.
"The size of these two organs increased from three or four centimetres (cm) to 10 and 11 cm. The doctors also warned that as they continue to swell, they could restrict her breathing, cause bleeding and her condition could worsen," he said.
He added that despite his daughter being unable to undergo a bone marrow transplant as she is not a match with her older sister or brother, she remains active and strong in her fight against the disease.
"If you look at her, you would not think she is suffering from cancer as her spirit is very strong despite only being one year and eight-months-old.
"Her courage gives my wife (Amira Shafikah Mohammad Kamil, 28) and me the strength to keep fighting alongside her.
"The doctors also continue to support us, (and) even though they have said there is no hope for her, we have not given up praying to Allah SWT," he said.
He also said they now cherish each day with Nur Maryam Ameena as the most precious time and he is determined to spend as much time as possible creating memories that will be cherished forever.
Mohd Mahfiz, who works in Terengganu while his family resides in Semenyih, said he is willing to travel back and forth by bus for six to seven hours just to offer his daughter support and spend time with her.
"I often take her to the park and let her play in the pool, which is Maryam's favourite activity, because I want her to always be happy.
"I share our videos on TikTok as memories, and if it's God's will to take her soon, my wife and I will accept it with peace because we have always been by her side, witnessing her journey.
"But for now, we will never give up on praying and hoping for a miracle for her recovery," he said.