Rakeen is only four years old, yet she has already survived seven brain surgeries in her fight against cancer.

Urgent Update:

Rakeen has just returned home from the hospital after another surgery and is currently in pain. Doctors say she must travel for proton therapy by June to give her the best chance of recovery.

In March 2025, our lives changed forever. Rakeen was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called ependymoma. The day we received the diagnosis, doctors told us she needed emergency brain surgery the very next day. Fluid had built up in her brain with no way to drain, and waiting was not an option.

Since that moment, our lives have been filled with hospitals, surgeries, and constant fear. Instead of playgrounds and carefree childhood days, Rakeen has spent much of the past year surrounded by doctors, machines, and worried parents praying for her recovery.

Despite everything she has endured, Rakeen remains incredibly brave. She still smiles, holds our hands, and tells me “I love you” every day. Her favorite toy is a little avocado plush that she calls “Amacado,” and she loves watching Bluey whenever she has the strength.

But her battle is far from over.

Rakeen’s tumor has required seven major brain surgeries, each one another fight to stop it from returning. Every surgery has been a moment where our family held its breath, hoping it would finally be enough.

The treatments have been extremely hard on her small body. Her teeth have deteriorated from the treatments, and now we are doing a dental surgery too. After her latest operation, Rakeen has only just been able to walk again, but she struggles with balance and can no longer run the way she used to.

She misses running more than anything.

After searching everywhere for answers and speaking with specialists, doctors told us that proton therapy could give Rakeen the best chance at stopping the tumor while protecting her developing brain. Because of the tumor’s sensitive location, this treatment is much safer for children and can target the cancer more precisely than traditional radiation.

We searched across many countries trying to find a hospital that could help her. After months of looking for options, we finally found hope at a children’s cancer center in India that offers the proton therapy Rakeen urgently needs.

For the first time in a long time, we felt hope again.

But the cost of this life saving treatment, travel, and medical care is $766,000, far more than our family can afford.

Rakeen is not only our daughter. She is also the little sister of two loving brothers, ages 12 and 13, who adore her and are waiting for the day their sister can be strong enough to laugh, play, and grow up beside them.

As parents, hearing that your child has cancer is a pain no one can ever truly prepare for. Since her diagnosis, we have done everything we possibly can to fight for Rakeen and find the treatment that could save her life.

Now we are asking for help.

Rakeen deserves the chance to grow up.

She deserves to run again.

She deserves to watch her favorite cartoons, play with her “Amacado,” and live the childhood every child should have.

Most of all, she deserves the chance to live.

If you are able, please consider helping us get Rakeen to the treatment that could save her life. Every donation, every share, and every prayer brings us closer to giving our brave little girl the future she deserves.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with Rakeen in her fight.

With love and hope,

Duha

A grateful mother fighting for her daughter.