Tag: mom

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Lives Lived: Sikina Bharwani

Sikina Bharwani
Sikina Bharwani

Wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, matriarch. Born Dec. 1, 1920, in Jamjodhpur, Gujarat, India. Died April 19 in Calgary of metastatic gynecologic cancer, aged 87.

At the tender age of 15, Sikina married a handsome man named Hussein, who was 21. He had worked in Tanzania for eight years and had returned to India to look for a bride. He and Sikina married and lived in Tanzania for more than 35 years. They had eight children.

Sikina faced many challenges in her life. One of them was a motor vehicle collision in 1965. She was a passenger in a cab that was taking her to Masaka, Uganda, when the cab was hit head-on by a drunk driver. Sikina sustained multiple life-threatening injuries with many broken bones. She spent four months in a hospital in Kampala, Uganda. But she fought back and survived.

With Idi Amin’s brutal regime in Uganda terrorizing Asians, Hussein and Sikina decided to leave Tanzania. They moved to England and then to Canada, arriving in Calgary in 1975.

Five years later, Sikina was found to have a brain tumour close to a large blood vessel. Two neurosurgeons in Calgary felt surgery would be too risky. Hussein insisted on a third opinion. The third neurosurgeon, after considerable deliberations, elected to do the surgery. We were warned of the likely complications and the possibility of death. But Sikina was ready for it; she could not live the way she felt.

Sikina survived the six-hour surgery and had a full recovery. After many years of good health, in April, 2000, she momentarily lost speech and function on the right side of her body. A large tumour had recurred at the site of the previous excision.

Within a week, Sikina was back in the operating room undergoing another six hours of brain surgery. This time the recovery was slow. She was in the hospital for five weeks. But she did not give up. She was home again looking better and walking with a walker.
This time Hussein wasn’t there – he had passed away in 1991. But all her children and their families were around.

Sikina also had numerous friends. She was known to be always smiling and never complaining. Out of all things, her courage stands out. She had experienced three life-threatening events, moved through four continents and courageously faced many of life’s ups and downs and survived. She had a Grade 4 level education and spoke very little English, yet she managed to live alone for 17 years in a one-bedroom condo. She was one tough lady.

Sikina believed in God and miracles. She was the matriarch of the family, survived by five children, 18 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. She is missed by all who knew her. Long live Sikina and her legacy of love, courage and optimism.

Noorali Bharwani is Sikina’s son.

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An Angel with Ovarian Cancer

Recently, an angel was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is 87-years-old. I have known her for many years. She is an angel because she is kind, she is generous, she is caring and she believes in miracles. She has been an excellent wife, mother and grandmother. She lost her husband 17 years ago but managed to survive in Canada without speaking any English. She is one tough lady.

But now her time is up. Doctors have said her prognosis is poor. Once cancer has spread it is usually a losing battle. But how long the battle will last is anybody’s guess. In the meantime my angel is wasting away – slowly and sometimes painfully. Her sprit is high but the energy level is low. What keeps her going is her family and friends. Some of them have flown from all over the world. They are here to say thanks for the memories and good-bye. They want to pay their last respects.

Each year, about 2400 Canadian women or angels are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Sadly, 1700 women with the disease die each year. In North America, ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic malignant disease and is the leading cause of death among women with gynecologic cancer.

Why do so many women die of ovarian cancer? More than 60 per cent of the women are in advanced stage when first diagnosed. Their five year survival rate is less than 30 per cent. Their prognosis is poor and they have very few treatment options. Some studies have reported higher survival rates of greater than 90 per cent in women with stage one disease. Only 25 per cent of the women are diagnosed early.

Is there anyway we can detect ovarian cancer early? In early stages symptoms are usually non-specific and vague, but as the disease progresses they may include abdominal distention or pain, change in bowel and/or bladder habits, and gynecologic complaints such as pain during intercourse. Pelvic examination does not help in early cases but generally detect ovarian cancer that is at an advanced stage. So, early diagnosis is difficult.

There have been several studies to examine the efficacy of routine ultrasound and screening using blood test CA125 for early detection. Unfortunately, these techniques have not been clearly shown to be effective for early detection. Therefore, there is no recommendation to use ultrasound or CA125 blood test for screening.

There are two risk factors for ovarian cancer: first, 10 per cent of women with ovarian cancer have a family history of the same disease and second, a much larger group includes postmenopausal women who are over 50 years of age, in whom 90 per cent of ovarian cancer occurs sporadically.

One study suggests that women who do not have regular medical check-ups or pelvic examinations and who have no regular family physician or health care provider are at increased risk of ovarian cancer. The authors of the study say that although the exact mechanism of this association is unknown, women, especially those who are postmenopausal, should be encouraged to maintain regular medical care. Women who are found to have benign diseases of the ovary are also thought to be at a higher risk for ovarian cancer.

Many aspects of ovarian cancer are poorly understood. So screening is not currently recommended for the general population. There are a number of trials going on which may give us answers in the future. But this may take many years.

For now, there isn’t much good news for women in general and my angel in particular. I hope she does not suffer for too long. Some days pain and vomiting is unbearable. Some days things are not bad. I worry and have sleepless nights about my angel because she is precious and she is my mother.

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My Mother, Sikina

Allow me to tell you a story of a very special, tough and courageous 84-year-old lady. Her name is Sikina. She recently spent five weeks in Foothills Hospital for removal of a 6-cm. benign brain tumour. The tumour had left her partially paralysed.

Sikina was born in India. At a very tender age of 15 she married a young handsome fellow named Hussein who was 21. At the age of 13, Hussein had gone to East Africa with his older brother to look for work. After eight years of work and making some money, he had returned to India to look for a bride. That is when he was introduced to Sikina and got married.

Hussein and Sikina lived in East Africa for many years. They had eight children. One day, in 1965, Sikina was travelling from Tanzania to Uganda when her car was involved in a head on collision with a drunk driver. She sustained life-threatening injuries to head, face, right thigh and both upper limbs. There were many broken bones.

Sikina never gave up. With Hussein at his bedside, she fought back and survived. She spent four months in a hospital in Kampala, Uganda. She came home to Tanzania walking with crutches. Another two months of physiotherapy and she was back taking care of her family.

With Idi Amin (does anybody remember him?) in Uganda, the political atmosphere in East Africa became very uncertain. So, 25 years ago, Hussein, Sikina and their children moved to Calgary.

Five years later, Sikina developed right-sided weakness. She was found to have a brain tumour close to a large blood vessel. Two neurosurgeons in Calgary felt that nothing should be done, as there was a significant risk of damaging the blood vessel during surgery.

Hussein wasn’t a man to give up easily. As Sikina’s condition worsened, Hussein insisted on another opinion. The third neurosurgeon, after considerable deliberation and consultation with his colleagues at the General Hospital, elected to do the surgery. This was in 1980. Sikina and her family were warned of the likely complications. But Sikina was ready for it, as she could not live the way she felt.

Sikina survived the six-hour surgery. She had a full recovery. Eighty percent of the tumour was removed. Luckily it was benign. Tumour close to the blood vessel was left behind.

After many years of good health, Sikina’s troubles started again. Her right leg was getting weaker. Then six weeks ago, she momentarily lost her speech and function on the right side of her body. She was thought to have a stroke and rushed to Foothills Hospital. Investigations revealed recurrence of a large tumour at the site of previous excision.

Within a week, she was back in the operating room undergoing another six hours of brain surgery. This time the recovery was slow. She was in the hospital for five weeks. But she did not give up!

Now she is home looking better and walking with a walker. Another courageous fight and a miraculous recovery! This time Hussein wasn’t there. He passed away nine years ago. But all her children and their families were there. So were the neurosurgeons, anaesthetist, geriatrician, nursing staff and physiotherapists. It was an excellent teamwork.

Sikina believes in God and miracles. But one thing stands out – Sikina’s courage. I am proud of her. She is a special lady. And she is my mother!

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!