My name is Sakhawat Ali, and I’m 26 years old. I’m fighting a rare and aggressive metastatic adenosquamous cancer. I am a first-generation graduate and Chevening Scholar from my community. I come from Khan Bahadur, a small village in District Okara, South Punjab, one of the most underdeveloped regions of Pakistan. Throughout my life, I’ve battled inequality, poverty, and now cancer, yet I continue to fight with hope and determination.

My parents never went to school, yet they made sure I did. My father worked as a security guard earning only £83 a month, so that I could stay in school and dream beyond our village. My school was a public, underfunded school without walls and furniture. We were forced to study while sitting on the floor. For my college, we left everything behind, land, community, and safety, to build a future from scratch in the city.

That choice changed my life.

Through endless nights of study and part-time jobs after class, I earned top positions in school and college. I got into Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), one of the top institutions in Pakistan. To survive, I worked long hours after lectures, often returning home around midnight, just to pay my fees. During those years, I founded a small startup focused on innovation and sustainability, which went on to win the National Innovation Award presented by the President of Pakistan himself.

I thought my hardest battles were behind me. I was wrong. In my final year of university, I was diagnosed with Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Colon with KRAS G12 mutation, an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer. It's 0.05 percent of total colon cancer cases. Doctors called it “treatment-resistant.”

Still, I fought back. I went through loads of scans, colonoscopies, a right hepatectomy surgery, and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. For two years, I lived between hope and hospital rooms, but I never stopped dreaming.

I won the Chevening Scholarship, one of the world’s most competitive programs, and studied my Master’s in Renewable Energy and Climate Change from the University of Southampton, UK. During my degree, I underwent another surgery in February 2025 and received chemotherapy. This time, it didn’t work as Adenosquamous cancer is treatment-resistant. It was supposed to be a new beginning. But my cancer returned for the third time. And now, it’s back again faster, stronger, and spreading. After three relapses, all standard treatments have failed.

The only hope left is clinical trials and experimental therapy.

Meanwhile, I have been accepted at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, UK, where I am scheduled for my third round of chemotherapy |(Starting from 12th November), which will continue til six months. I wouldn't be able to work; funding ended in August, and savings dried up already. After 6 months, I am getting a right hemicolectomy with liver resection. As an International patient, I have to pay for all consultations, surgery, immunotherapy, and scans. ($40,000)

I’m currently in contact with MD Anderson Cancer Center (USA) for clinical trials, one of the best cancer research hospitals in the world.

They have quoted:

> Estimated Evaluation Cost: $32,384 (excluding treatment)

> Diagnosis: Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Colon

This covers evaluation, diagnostic tests, pathology review, and treatment planning, the crucial first step to survival.

For my family, this cost is unimaginable. My father still works as a security guard for minimum wage. We’ve sold everything possible. I’ve reached the edge of my savings. I’ve already undergone major surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy in Pakistan. Despite all efforts, the cancer returned. Those treatments left my family and me with outstanding medical debt, which we’re still paying off.

But I refuse to give up.

I believe my case, though rare, can help doctors study this under-researched cancer and improve treatment for others around the world.

My dream after recovery is to run across Pakistan, raising funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, to support cancer research. I was once an athlete; I ran, cycled, and climbed. I want to do it again, not just for myself, but for every child who was told “you can’t.”

Why This Matters

This campaign isn’t just about my survival; it’s about giving science a chance to learn from a rare case. It’s about giving hope to families who hear the same diagnosis and are told “there’s no cure.”

Every contribution, no matter how small, takes me closer to getting this chance.

Your Support Will Help Cover:

How You Can Help:

1. Donate whatever amount you can, even a few dollars; make a difference.

2. Share my story widely, with your community, groups, and social media.

3. Pray and send hope. That energy matters more than words can measure.

From a small village in South Punjab to a classroom in the UK, I’ve fought every battle life put in front of me: poverty, feudalism, and disease.

Now, I need your help to fight this last one.

Your kindness can buy me time, treatment, and a future, one I promise to pay forward by helping others.

Thank you for believing in me.

Sakhawat Ali

Sakhawat's Journey by Tabarak Rehman