My son put his ‘innocent’ stomach ache down to something he’d eaten – six weeks later he was dead
WHEN Nadia Granata’s son began complaining of a stomach ache, he quickly put it down to something he’d eaten.
The true cause turned out to be much more sinister and within six weeks, the 24-year-old had passed away.
Nadia, 52, from Walthamstow, London, said her son’s symptoms quickly became more serious, and he was rushed to A&E.
“It all started with a seemingly innocent stomach ache for two days,” she said.
“On May 25, 2023, Hashim was sitting in the living room joking and laughing with his sister when very shortly that evening his leg began to swell and go numb, as did the opposite arm.
“He insisted everything was fine, but then he coughed up some blood.
“He started to have difficulty breathing and his hands became sweaty.
“I rang 111 and the doctor said we needed to get him to hospital as soon as possible.”
Hashim was pushed to the front of queue at A&E, where he underwent tests.
Within two hours of arriving, the student was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer.
In another blow, tests showed shadowing on his chest where the cancer had already spread to his lungs.
Nadia said: “The news was devastating as the cancer had already spread to various parts of his body – the abdomen, lungs, chest, brain, and back. It was everywhere.
“I felt as though my entire world had been turned upside down in just a few minutes.
“While Hashim was initially taken aback, he chose to focus on the positives and didn’t allow the situation to affect his mental wellbeing – or at least he didn’t show it.
“He told me, ‘Don’t look things up online, my story and my journey are uniquely mine’.”
‘LIFE AND SOUL OF THE PARTY’
Hashim started chemotherapy immediately and was initially responding well.
Described as the life and soul of the party, he signed up to host a Macmillan coffee morning as a way of thanking the nurses who were supporting him.
Unfortunately, my son didn’t know he had testicular cancer. When he found out, six weeks later he was no more
Nadia Granata
Nadia said: “He always had such a positive outlook on life.
“Hashim was even happy to be losing his hair because this meant the chemo was working. He was looking forward to getting back to work.
“We got assigned a Macmillan nurse and do you know what? They’re the best nurses you can ever have.
“The support they gave us through the treatment was above and beyond.”
YET ANOTHER DEVASTATING BLOW
Sadly, when Hashim got to his sixth week of treatment, he contracted a severe form of sepsis.
After spending 30 hours on life support, his organs failed and he passed away peacefully exactly six weeks after the initial cancer diagnosis.
Nadia said: “Hashim had a big sweet tooth and one day, when we were visiting, he asked me to get him a bag of sweets and put them in the fridge overnight so they could help soothe his mouth sores.
“But he never got to eat the sweets, because in the early hours of July 4, he developed pseudomonas sepsis from bacteria in his gut.”
Despite the devastating news, the family went ahead with the Macmillan coffee morning, which was held last year, in memory of their son. They raised over £5,000.
Nadia said: “Our family is channelling grief into action by raising awareness about this silent killer.
“A Macmillan coffee morning can raise awareness.
“You know, it doesn’t matter if you raise £5 or £5,000. At the end of the day, every penny counts.”
The family is now working closely with local businesses and community leaders in the Pakistani and wider Muslim community in North East London to break down taboos and raise awareness of testicular cancer and how it affects young men like their son.
Nadia said: “It’s a tragic story, but hopefully for other people, it’s not going to be the tragedy that we’ve incurred.
“My message to other men and boys regarding testicular cancer is straight forward: visit the Macmillan website to learn how to perform self-examinations.
“If you notice anything unusual, don’t hesitate to inform someone and seek medical assistance right away.
“Testicular cancer is highly curable when detected early.”
Nadia said her son had no symptoms other than some lower back pain, and later, coughing up blood.
She said: “Unfortunately, my son didn’t know he had testicular cancer. When he found out six weeks later, he was no more.”
CELEBS JOIN FORCES
Nadia has been joined celebrities including Jake Quickenden and Julia Bradbury as part of a campaign by Macmillan Cancer Support to promote their annual Coffee Morning on September 27.
Last year’s Coffee Morning raised over £18million, which could fund more than 260 Macmillan nurses for a year.
Photographer Rankin has captured striking images of those telling their story, including influencer and TV personality Jake, 35, who lost both his dad and younger brother to bone cancer.
Two years after dad Paul’s death 13 years ago, Jake’s youngest brother was diagnosed with the disease.
Oliver injured his knee playing football and tests revealed he had bone cancer – although a different type, osteosarcoma.
He sadly passed away when he was just 19 years old.
Jake said: “Oliver had the condition in his bones, so we could never have detected anything from the outside – but it’s really important we raise awareness of the soft tissue lump checks as they can literally be lifesaving.”
Symptoms of the disease include constant or intermittent bone pain and unexplained reduced range of motion.
Loose Women panellists Charlene White and Brenda Edwards have also shared how cancer has affected their lives.
Charlene, 44, who’s best known for presenting ITV News and Loose Women, was just 21 years old when she lost her mum to bowel cancer.
She said: “People can be embarrassed about going to the doctor with bowel-related concerns but if you see changes and you don’t go to the GP, your family could lose a mum, could lose a dad.
“You know your body and if you spot any changes or signs then please go to your doctor.”
Brenda, 55, has survived stage three breast cancer, diagnosed in 2016.
The singer, actress, and TV presenter said: “I would encourage anyone who notices changes to their breasts or has concerns to contact their GP or if you’ve received a cancer diagnosis, user the support Macmillan Cancer Support can offer.”
TV presenter and mum-of-three Julia Bradbury, 53, survived breast cancer after a doctor spotted a shadow on a mammogram – a year after she first felt a lump.
She said: “When you hear the words ‘you have cancer’ your world stops.
“They’re words no one wants to hear – it’s a club that no one wants to be part of and yet so many are.”
Claire Spencer, marketing manager at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “The countdown to Coffee Morning is officially on, and it’s always so fantastic to see so many people get involved.
“Whether it’s a chai afternoon, a ‘barks and bakes’ dog walk or a kitchen disco in the office, people can host their Coffee Morning anyway and anywhere they want.”
For more information and to sign up, visit Macmillan Coffee Morning.
Body checks you can do now
- Check your semen: It should be a white-grey colour. Red in semen or yellow-green should be assessed
- Check your testicles: Roll each of them between your finger and thumb to gently feel their surfaces to look for swellling, hardness or lumps.
- Check your breasts: Both men and women should be aware of the signs of breast cancer, which are lumps, inverted nipples, fluid oozing from the nipple, a sore or rash around the nipple, hard, red skin, swellings or lumps in the armpit.
- Check your peeing habits: Going more often, straining to go, having a weak flow or feeling like you’ve not emptied? These could be signs of a prostate problem.
- Check your blood pressure: You can check your blood pressure at home using an automated digital device, at the GP or pharmacy.
- Check your heart: Your heart rate should be somewhere between 60 and 100 bpm. You can count using a clock and pressing lightly on the inside of your wrist.
- Check down the loo: Look for signs of blood in stool or if you’ve had a persistent change in frequency or type of stool (e.g. diarrhoea or more difficulty). Pain when going should also be checked out.
- Check your cholesterol: The best way to check your cholesterol levels is by visiting your pharmacist or GP but you can also check it at home with tests including Bupa’s Be.Healthy at Home.
- Check your nails: Ridges, dents, brittleness and clubbing of the nails can all indicate an underlying health issue.
- Check your hair: Hair loss is seen in both men and women from middle age, but iron deficiency can also cause it.
- Check your BMI: Your body mass index (BMI) is a simple way to check whether you’re a healthy weight. Use an online calculator such as that on the NHS.
- Check for lumps and bumps: Changes to the skin, including around the genitals, moles and marks must be checked.