Zahaan has always demonstrated a remarkable concern for others. Even as a little boy, he has been known to go to his piggy bank to buy food for those in need.
And he donated his hair to a charitable organization for sick kids just a month before he himself was diagnosed with cancer.
Zahaan had been having severe headaches, then episodic vomiting. His pediatric neurologist ordered an MRI to rule out the worst possibilities.
Instead, the scan revealed a tumor, a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma. Zahaan underwent surgery to remove the tumor at a hospital near his home.
Although other treatment options were available in their home country of Singapore, the family sought a referral to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
St. Jude is home to the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children with cancer.
Proton therapy targets cancers while minimizing damage to healthy tissue and organs, which in turn can reduce the risk of treatment-related side effects.
In addition to proton therapy, Zahaan received chemotherapy at St. Jude.
Now 8 years old and back at home, he continues to exhibit a heart for others. He recently collected donations for St. Jude at his 8th birthday party.
Whatever happens, something good will come out of this, I believe Zahaan has a bigger purpose.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families, like Zahaan's, never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Meet more patients
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Our Patient Stories
Be inspired by stories about our patients on their journey from diagnosis to treatment of childhood cancer and other diseases treated at St. Jude.
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Meet patient Luke
After Luke's cancer relapsed during his first six months of treatment, he needed a rare transplant. His parents' search for a treatment led them to St. Jude.
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One family, two journeys
Raeleigh's mom brought her baby sister into the world on the same day that Raeleigh was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Meet Mary Browder
When St. Jude patient Mary Browder was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, her family never believed she would get back to a normal life. Today, her diagnosis is just one part of her story.
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Meet María Isabella
Three-year-old María Isabella and her family have made the trip from Honduras to Memphis to seek hope, along with treatment at St. Jude for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Meet Colton
Doctors discovered Colton suffered from a high grade glioma tumor in September 2015. Colton’s family turned to St. Jude for his continuing treatment.
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Meet Maverick
On NYE of 2017, Maverick went to the hospital with abnormal bloodwork. His family entered the new year facing a terrifying diagnosis: blood cancer.
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Meet Kaitlyn and Khirsten
For sickle cell patients like Khirsten and Kaitlyn, the transition from pediatric care to adult care will be critical to their survival. St. Jude is working to help them learn to manage their disease as they get older.
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Meet Gracie
Just a day after she was born, Gracie was diagnosed with infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer.
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Meet Ari'Yanna
Ari'Yanna and her mom, D'Yana, are navigating the difficult, and at times painful, journey of sickle cell disease with St. Jude by their side.
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Meet Easton
When patient Easton and his family learned of his diagnosis of metastatic cancer when he was fifteen months old, they had little to hope for by way of a cure.
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Meet Corbin
In 2005, 3-year-old Corbin survived his first bout with cancer. But in 2017, the 16-year-old Corbin felt a pain in his right arm. It was cancer, again, but not the same type.
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Meet Tony
Tony wasn’t quite a year old when his family learned he had ALL, a type of blood cancer. At St. Jude, he began chemotherapy immediately.
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Meet Cameron
Cameron is an exceptionally caring boy. During treatment for medulloblastoma, he became known around St. Jude for his magnetic smile.
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Meet Nikalis
Nikalis is a 6-year-old boy who loves playing with his five siblings. When he was only 10 months old, Nikalis was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Li Fraumeni.
