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RIYADH: Nesma Al-Mulla, a Saudi mother, thought her life was over when her son Faris Kashmeeri was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five.
“When I found out my child’s condition in 2019, I encountered a horrible reality. I knew that this catastrophe will force me to reconfigure my life,” Al-Mulla told Arab News.
Al-Mulla chose to adopt a positive approach to the situation as she has always believed that hardship makes you stronger. As a mother attuned to her child’s needs, she also realized that she needed to be strong for Faris’ mental health.
Faris was too young to understand the nature of cancer and how it can spread. Al-Mulla explained that the disease needed a treatment called chemotherapy in order for him to become strong and recover.
Chemotherapy involves the use of powerful chemicals or drugs that destroy cancer cells, and it works by stopping or slowing the growth of the cells, according to the Mayo Clinic.
With the help of the Saudi health care system, Faris received free treatment at the Princess Noura Oncology Center at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah.
Al-Mulla would give Faris gifts after each chemotherapy session to motivate him. “(It) encouraged him to go to the hospital and complete his treatment,” she said.
“This method of motivating him had a wonderful effect on him, and he still loves the hospital and does not regard it as a painful experience. I tried to buy him brand-new toys so that he would look forward to them throughout each chemotherapy session.”
The single mother of three and provider for her family decided to document her son’s medical treatment on social media.
“My son’s name means ‘knight,’ so I nicknamed the account ‘leukemia knight.’ The account was rewarded by a local Jeddah hospital called National Guard Hospital. This journey through social media was a source of inspiration for many women who are going through the same thing,” she said.
Al-Mulla shared images of her son receiving therapy in the hospital on the Instagram account, documenting his journey using positive images. The posts attracted a lot of attention, especially from mothers with children with cancer.
“I had no idea that what I was doing was inspiring, other than from the responses I received from mothers. Many of them urged me to continue spreading the word about pediatric cancer since I had made the illness understandable to them and given them the motivation to carry on,” she said.
Doctors reassured Al-Mulla that there was a 95 percent chance of her son recovering, and in 2022 Faris was declared free from cancer.
Al-Mulla then made the decision to establish Nesma Community, an initiative to support mothers who have children with cancer and that helps them to improve their quality of life.
The center provides yoga and mental health classes, workshops on how to deal with pressure, recreational activities, and meetings with doctors to discuss cases.
The community initiative was approved by the Kingdom’s Quality of Life Program and listed on the Hawi portal, which provides support to community groups, organizations and interests.
Al-Mulla’s center hosts a range of events in Riyadh and Jeddah. Forthcoming events will discuss a variety of subjects in collaboration with experts and medical professionals. Topics include the impact of therapy on the lungs and breathing, yoga sessions, and leukemia awareness month.
Faris, who is now a healthy child enjoying all the activities of his age group, has a message for children battling cancer: “You’ll be fine.”
MADINAH: The number of pilgrims from around the world to arrive in Madinah up to Wednesday after performing the Hajj rituals has reached 142,588, state news agency SPA reported.
A total of 17,258 pilgrims arrived in Madinah on Wednesday, with 15,159 arriving at the Hijra Station through 395 flights, according to Hajj and Visit Committee statistics.
Meanwhile the Haramain high-speed railway station received 1,797 pilgrims who arrived on 395 trips.
Of these 36,963 pilgrims have already left to return to their home countries.
RIYADH: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve’s efforts to research and protect the Eurasian griffon vulture have been cited by Sandgrouse, an international ornithology journal.
“Sandgrouse is an international magazine collecting and publishing data on birds of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Issued periodically since 1996, It is one of the most famous magazines specialized in birds in these regions,” said Fahad Al-Shuwaier, director-general of communications at KSRNR.
“The importance of the Eurasian griffon vulture for the ecosystem lies in the fact that it feeds on the carcasses of dead animals collectively, as it is present in groups that go out to search for food collectively, which helps to clean the environment from the carcasses of these animals, which in turn reduces the spread of diseases and infection from these carcasses,” he added.
“The publication of such news in international periodicals guarantees that KSRNR attracts the attention of researchers, experts and scientists at the world level who are interested in issues related to the environment.”
The Eurasian griffon vulture is an endangered species within the Kingdom, with population numbers falling dramatically across the Arabian Peninsula.
The number of Eurasian griffon vultures in Saudi Arabia fell by between 50-80 percent from 1972-2015 as a result of exposure to hazards including secondary poisoning, hunting, collision and electrification.
The Eurasian griffon vulture is one of the resident species nesting in KSRNR and in the wilds of southern Saudi Arabia.
It is one of the most important types of birds in the reserve, with 46 nesting sites being registered and monitored during the 2022 season, including 22 active nests, according to research.
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KSRNR teams detected more than 250 birds and more than 100 nesting sites within the boundaries of the reserve during the 2023 nesting season, representing a key ornithological documentation of the species in the Middle East.
The reserve announced its commitment to join the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature with the aim of protecting natural assets, restoring ecological balance, preserving endangered animals and birds, and achieving sustainable ecological balance through the protection of biodiversity.
The authority aims to preserve the Eurasian griffon vulture within its boundaries because of the important role that the species plays in maintaining environmental balance and protecting nature.
Special initiatives have been launched to protect griffon vultures by creating an incubating environment for their reproduction.
Saudi Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz and his accompanying delegation were received by Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday at the Bayan Palace in Kuwait City.
Prince Turki conveyed the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, and to Sheikh Mishal.
Greetings to the king and the crown prince were conveyed by Sheikh Mishal, along with best wishes for the continued prosperity of the Kingdom.
The two sides discussed issues of common interest and looked at the deep-rooted relations between their countries and ways to strengthen ties.
The meeting was also attended by Prince Sultan bin Saad bin Khalid, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Kuwait.
Medhat Alzayer has been the regional head of wealth management at Arbah Capital in Dammam since 2020.
His role with the Eastern Province-based Islamic boutique investment firm involves managing and expanding its client base throughout Saudi Arabia and offering wealth management solutions.
Before joining the company, he was executive director at Fiducia Capital Ltd. in Dubai International Financial Center, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, developing short- and long-term business strategies, motivating staff, and representing the bank to clients, external partners, and agencies.
Alzayer is also the owner and founder of Medhat Alzayer Real Estate Office, an agency that has been providing access to luxury estates and properties in the UAE and the UK since 2014. It also offers tailored services to meet clients’ unique needs and aspirations.
He previously held various roles at office solutions company Regus, including as country manager and chief executive officer for Saudi Arabia, and was director of placement and origination at the European Islamic Investment Bank in the UK.
During his time with Samba Financial Group, he held several positions including regional coordinator for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Dhahran branch manager, Dubai branch manager, and group Dhahran branch manager. Additionally, he played a key part in establishing the group’s presence in Dubai and Saudi Aramco.
Before his career in banking, Alzayer worked in sales and management at Regus, Holiday Inn Alkhobar, Crowne Plaza Jeddah, and Bass Hotels and Resorts in London. His first job was as a customer service representative at Riyad Bank.
He gained a certificate in hospitality management from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, both in the US.
As an affiliate member of the Cornell Hotel Society, Alzayer contributes articles for magazine publications such as Forbes, and Arabian Business, covering topics including property and the future of work.
RIYADH: Saudi medical authorities announced on Wednesday that a complicated surgical procedure to separate conjoined twins will be performed on Thursday, the Saudi Press agency reported.
The operation, which follows the implementation of directives from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will be carried out under the supervision of Adviser at the Royal Court and General Supervisor of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.
A medical and surgical team is set to separate the Syrian conjoined twin brothers — Bassam and Ihsan — at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in the King Abdulaziz Medical City at the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh.
Al-Rabeeah, who is also head of the medical and surgical team, said in a press statement that the operation was expected to take 9.5 hours and would be conducted in five stages, with the participation of 26 consultants, specialists, technical, nursing and support staff.
He said that the Syrian twins, who arrived from Turkiye on May 22, are 32 months old and weigh 19 kg together. The medical team has conducted examinations showing that the twins are conjoined in the lower chest, abdomen, liver and intestines, he said.
The examinations showed that Ihsan was considered the more dominant twin due to the absence of the urinary and reproductive systems (kidneys, ureters, bladder and male reproductive organs) in Bassam.
Ihsan also suffers from major congenital heart defects that reduce his life expectancy, along with atrophy in his neurological development, which makes his chances of survival very slim.
Al-Rabeeah said that to save Bassam’s life, the medical team decided to perform the operation to separate the twins.
He said that the operation is the 58th within the Saudi program for conjoined twins, which has supervised 130 cases from 23 countries since 1990.
Al-Rabeeah thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the support the conjoined twins separation program receives.