The grieving mom, who has lost 3 children to terminal illnesses said, "You’re never the same again, and I’m not the person I was.”
A heartbroken mom, who has now lost three children to serious illnesses, recounted the terrible decision when she had to convince her 10-year-old son that he was recuperating, when in fact, he was to die in a few weeks.
Gheuwan Arja, 41, of Sydney's Greenacre district, couldn't hold back her tears as she saw her son, Omar, light up with joy as he rang a hospital bell to indicate the end of his cancer treatment. The struggling mother-of-five revealed how she offered her son a "white lie" to save him from the agony of learning he only had weeks to live after having six months of chemotherapy and 18 surgeries.
In 2021, Omar was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer that is aggressive and is known to attack the lymph nodes, which are an important element of our immune system. In a Launch Good fundraiser, the mother recalled her horrific experiences of losing three of her children to serious terminal illnesses. Her first-born daughter, Aisha, had a rare condition called Neiman Pick Type C and passed away when she was just four years old, back in 2009. "It was devastating and my whole world fell apart," Arja wrote on the fundraiser.
She added, "Then, in 2019, my third-born son, Mohamed, was diagnosed with a brain tumor that we didn't know about. He showed symptoms of having a stroke, and we rushed him to the hospital. But it was too late. Mohamed passed away after just two weeks. It was a heartbreaking experience, and I felt like I had lost everything."
When Omar was diagnosed with terminal Lymphoma, "it was devastating news, but we were determined to fight it together," Arja revealed. "But despite his bravery and strength, Allah loves him more. He passed away in January 2022."
Gheuwan is suffering from the psychological effects of losing three children. But the mother goes to great lengths to avoid “the dark place,” she told 7 News. “It takes so much work that no one sees. Everyone is like, ‘Oh she’s so strong’,” she said.
“I wake up at five in the morning, I go for a walk on the beach, I do research on how to heal mentally. You’re never the same again, and I’m not the person I was,” she shared. “I know they’re all together, I know God guaranteed them to heaven.”
Gheuwan, her husband, Fadi, and their surviving children Rabieh, 16, and Luay, 8, will never forget Aisha, Mohamed, and Omar. “Every one of them was special, they all had something about them,” Gheuwan said. “They gave us all the love, they were love itself. I always tell them I love them before I go to sleep.”
She's also “making the most memories” with Rabieh and Luay. “You don’t know when your last photo’s going to be with your child,” she said.
References:
https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/help_me_find_strength_after_losing_three_beloved_children#!/
Cover Image Source: Launch Good
