Yusuf Hirji, 16, has been spared hundreds of hours in a Sick Kids bed, thanks to back-carried gear that flushes chemo drugs from his body.
It started with a strange bump on the back of his leg, just above the knee, and within weeks, an active, soccer-loving teenager with dreams of playing in Europe was bedridden at Sick Kids hospital, receiving chemotherapy through an IV.
To be so confined was agonizing for Yusuf Hirji, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — bone cancer — last July. But now, thanks to an idea proposed by his oncology nurse, Yusuf is the test case in a portable treatment pilot project that is allowing him to spend much of his time at home with his beloved dog, Scooter, and his family, rather than in his hospital bed.
He’s the first osteosarcoma patient in Canada to try it, according to the Hospital for Sick Children.
via Novel backpack system helps teen with bone cancer avoid hospital stays | Toronto Star.
Earlier related: Yusuf Hirji: Pickering teen shares cancer story
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