“Paras is indeed a blessing for us. Turned away by doctors and confused, it was Paras Cancer Centre and Dr. Avinash Kumar who supported us, gave us hope and made us believe that my son Raghav would be well again,” shares his mother emotionally.
Raghav being an active child would often get into trouble due to his hyperactivity. The entire day he would play with his friends tirelessly and actively participate in school curricular activations. However he suddenly started to show signs of fatigue, weakness and loss of appetite. The last straw was the formation of some red patches that looked that they would bleed. “He started to suffer from high fever, easy bruising , bone & joint pain. The most worrisome aspect was that he couldn’t eat food. He had lost his appetite and was continuously losing weight. Worried we decided to consult a specialist,” shares Raghav’s mother.
Some simple tests done at Darbhanga highlighted a skewed complete blood count (CBC) analysis. The doctors at Darbhanga immediately recommended that the patient needs specialists assistance – a Haematologist.
“The doctors at Darbhanga only shared that there is only one haematologist in Bihar – Dr. Avinash Kumar and he also specialises in Cancer Treatment. We immediately decided to consult the best,” shares Raghav’s father. Preliminary tests and diagnosis revealed that Raghav was suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) – Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). This type of cancer affects all types of blood cells – red blood cells, white blod cells and the platelets.
According to Dr. Avinash, Consultant Hematology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Paras Cancer Centre, Patna, “ Raghav was a typical case of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The best aspect of his case was timely detection and the family was keen for timely treatment. ALL is characterized by an overproduction of immature white blood cells, called lymphoblasts or leukemic blasts. These cells crowd the bone marrow, preventing it from making normal blood cells. They spill out into the bloodstream and circulate around the body. Due to their immaturity, these cells are unable to function properly to prevent or fight infection. Inadequate numbers of red cells and platelets being made by the marrow cause anemia, and easy bleeding and bruising. In India, Blood cancer is quite prevalent and more than 80,000 cases on a yearly basis are registered in Bihar alone. ALL can occur at any age but is more common in children (0-14 years) who represent close to 60% all cases. ALL is the most common type of childhood leukemia, and the most common childhood cancer. It is more common in males than in females.”
Dr. Avinash Kumar also states, “The exact cause of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is yet to be known. The common signs and symptoms are though quiet peculiar – anemia, lack of red blood cells, tiredness, fatigue, loss of appetite, easy bruising, formation of red patches, repeated infections and less blood clotting. All these are because all the blood cells are impaired and are not able to perform their duties – the RBC’s that carry oxygen to all parts of the body, the WBC’s that provide immunity to the body and the platelets that provide the ability to the blood to clot.”
Raghav was given sessions of chemotherapy to kill and slow the growth of the cancer cells. After continuous medication and care for 6 months, today Raghav has regained his active spirit. He is eager and a regular student again.
“I can’t thank Dr. Avinash enough. Just when I thought that I would lose my son, he instilled faith in me. The best medicine, exceptional treatment and above all the best doctors treated and cured my child. I shall forever be indebted to them,” shares Raghav’s mother.
Dr. Avinash has over the years treated numerous cases of blood cancer – leukemia, lymphoma & myeloma. He specializes in understanding the patient’s requirements and accordingly recommends a combination of treatment modalities that would benefit the patient the most. Over the last year he has also performed Bone Marrow Transplantation to treat patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma & myeloma, blood cancer, hodgkins lymphoma and non – hodgkins lymphoma.
