A five-year-old boy named Muslim is unknowingly facing cancer every day. 

“When the doctors said ‘tumour,’ it felt like my heart stopped. I looked at my son, smiling and asking his usual questions, but I knew we were about to face the most terrifying battle of our lives...” — Muslim’s mother, Nagzhan.

The Abubakirov family is raising three sons and is a normal, happy family. They enjoy weekend outings, trips to the zoo, and sharing their favourite dish, beshbarmak, for dinner. At the centre of this little world is their five-year-old son, Muslim, who is battling cancer. The family affectionately calls him Musey. He is different from many of his peers—much more sensible for his age. He loves order so much that he checks before bed to ensure his bed is neatly made. Muslim can solve a Rubik’s cube, collects keys, and dreams of becoming a policeman because he believes that policemen protect people. However, today it is Muslim who need protection. It all began with some ordinary vomiting, followed by weakness. His parents initially thought it was a temporary illness, but his condition continued to worsen. After undergoing tests, they received the devastating diagnosis: a malignant brain tumour known as medulloblastoma.

The tumour had already caused severe hydrocephalus and was compressing vital brain structures. It was literally a matter of days. Muslim underwent two extremely difficult emergency surgeries. First, the doctors worked to protect his brain from the effects of hydrocephalus. After that, they removed the tumour itself. The surgeons successfully excised about 90 per cent of the tumour. Then the histology results came back: cancer. It was the most terrifying word for any mother.

"I remember that day in vivid detail. I wished I could wake up and discover it was all just a terrible dream. But there was my son, sitting right next to me, so small and defenceless. I knew I couldn’t cry; I had to fight," recalls his mother.

After the operation, a new chapter began: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, countless tests, and the confines of hospital walls. The fear surrounding every follow-up scan is palpable. Today, Muslim is receiving treatment at the Acibadem clinic in Turkey. The doctors believe he has a chance to beat the disease, but the treatment is lengthy, complex, and very expensive.

The most surprising aspect is that Muslim does not fully realise how serious his illness is; he simply trusts his dad. During his radiotherapy sessions, the boy has to lie completely still under a special immobilising mask. Many children find it difficult to endure such a procedure without anaesthesia. However, his dad told him, "It’s Batman’s mask." Muslim believed him. For almost half an hour, he lay perfectly still in a large, cold room, enduring the treatment like a real superhero, because Batman never gives up.

We often say that children are stronger than adults, and Muslim's story exemplifies this perfectly. He doesn’t complain or resent his fate; he simply longs to recover and go for walks with his brothers again. He dreams of visiting the zoo and seeing a real panda one day, just like in his favourite cartoon. Above all, he wants to enjoy life. However, his family has reached the limits of what they can endure. They have devoted all their strength, savings, and efforts to a single goal: to save their son. Unfortunately, they can no longer afford to pay for his treatment on their own.

“I’m reaching out to you as a mother. Please do not ignore my child. Every day, I pray for one thing — that my son will live. I hope that one day all of this will be behind us, that he will grow up, go to school, and become the police officer he dreams of being. Please help us save our boy’s life...” — pleads Nagzhan.

Today, little Muslim’s fate relies not just on the skilled hands of the doctors, but also on all of us. Let our hands be the hands of the Almighty this time. Please help Muslim defeat cancer.