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Tales of Love

In Loving Memory of Pavel Rahman Ami

On January 3^rd, 1992, a beautiful baby boy graced the home of Dr. Khalilur Rahman and, his wife, Parveen Rahman. They named this gift Pavel Rahman, nickname Ami. A delightful child and a pure joy, the years slipped by with Ami growing up in the loving embraces of his parents. In March of 1997, unbeknownst to the doting parents, disaster came knocking on their door.

One night, Ami came down with very high fever but it abated by the time morning rolled around. This unusual phenomenon persisted for a few days. Ami’s father, being a doctor, provided with general pediatric care but his son did not seem to improve. Thus began a terrible journey for the family as they fought with everything they had to win the battle against the cancer Ami was later diagnosed with.

In April, Ami was finally taken to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. The doctors there were just as baffled as to the continued cause of Ami’s illness and referred him to BBSMU hospital in Dhaka. Several tests failed to ascertain a reliable prognosis and after 10 days, Ami was discharged from the hospital. His parents took him back to their hometown in Natore, several hundred miles from Dhaka.

After a few days, the fever returned and with it came the loss of Ami’s appetite. Lack of proper nutrition made him anemic and in the meantime, he continued to get maintenance treatment from a pediatrician. With no imminent improvement in his health, his parents finally decided to take him to Kolkata (in India). Ami’s parents got him consultation with two child specialists and a hematologist. Several tests were performed, including a bone marrow test, but nothing unusual could be detected. The doctors advised on follow-up check-ups and asked the Rahman family to go home.

In spite of the clean reports, Ami’s condition continued to worsen. He became weaker and at one point his blood count dropped severely. In October, he was admitted into RMCH again and another bone marrow test was done. The results showed signs of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, the first conclusive prognosis after months of testing. By November, the Rahmans rushed their son to the TATA Memorial hospital in Mumbai, India, a very well-reputed cancer hospital in the South Asian region.

After 6 months of intense treatment, Ami came back to Bangladesh. Another year and a half worth of follow-up treatment was administered and by the grace of the Almighty, he was well enough to start school. His parents were relieved to see their son begin to lead a normal life.

In April 2002, as Ami was preparing for his mid-terms, he seemed to lose his appetite and started to become listless. In terms of physical changes, his right testicle was more swollen than usual. It seemed that almost within days, he started showing all his previous symptoms, with frequent nightly fevers. His parents were alarmed and quickly rushed Ami to Dhaka, the rest of his normal life abruptly put on hold. Initial tests indicated a relapse, completely destroying the mental peace Ami’s parents had achieved over the last 3 years.

In hope of a second miracle, the Rahmans took Ami back to the TATA Memorial Hospital. A new regime of chemotherapy was started and after two months at TATA, Ami came back to Dhaka for the follow-up treatment. He responded well to the treatment and the family dared to hope again.

In June 2003, Ami came down with severe fever, with his symptoms deteriorating drastically. His final battle with fatality had started -- and what a valiant battle it was! For two months, Ami and his parents rallied but could not rein the spreading disease. On August 11, Ami told his mother, “Ammu, you will not need to spend any more money on me. I cannot live in this world anymore; there is no room for me”. He started mumbling things like, “ I don’t want to eat anymore – I will wait to eat once and for all when I am in Heaven with Allah”. “Ammu, you will all continue to live but why should a child like me have to leave?” “Ammu, I will be in Heaven but you will come much later – how will I recognize you?” With all these heart-wrenching statements, Ami fleeted in and out of consciousness.

He indeed did not eat anything that night and in the morning, staring earnestly through his feverish eyes, Ami told his mother, “Ammu, today is the day. Please come and sit next to me”. At ten past four in the afternoon, Ami suddenly shrieked, “ Ammu, I can’t see anything – I think I will need glasses.” After a moment of quiet, he finally told his mother, “I am suddenly feeling a lot of peace, Ammu. Please make sure to lay me down properly”. Then came his final words to his aggrieved parents, “I’m leaving Ammu, Abbu, I am leaving”. It was 12 minutes past four in the afternoon. Leaving behind an ocean of memories and grief, Ami shuddered with his last breath.

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