Dying teen's wish for people fulfilled

Before 17-year-old Mosabbir Khan died in 2002 of a brain tumour, he told his parents he wanted to do something to
help children in his native land of Bangladesh.

Following his wishes, the Khans sold their property in Bangladesh, emptied their savings account and invested $50,000 to open the Mosabbir Cancer Care Centre in Dhaka.

Through the cancer centre, which opened three months ago, family members say they hope Mosabbir's strongest qualities his love and concern for everyone in need will live on. ''I want my son's name to be alive through thousands of children treated at the centre,'' said Mosabbir's mother, Syeda Mastari Panna. ''Although nothing will erase the pain of losing him until the last year of my life, it will reduce the pain to see children like Mosabbir treated and comforted at this centre.''

Mosabbir's father, Mudassir Khan, said his son's death made him realise that the most important thing in life is to help others. Even when Mosabbir was in pain and dying, Khan said, his son could not bear to see others suffering and would give his parents lists of people he wanted them to help. ''If someone like Mosabbir can just leave us like that for no rhyme or reason, it's clear that running after materialistic things in this world is absolutely meaningless,'' Khan said. ''We were not sent into this world to look after ourselves only, and reaching out to others is where our salvation lies.''

The family moved from Bangladesh to Nashville in September 2001 soon after Mosabbir became ill. Cancer treatment in Bangladesh is very limited, and the family felt Mosabbir would get the best care in the United States. Mosabbir's tumour was diagnosed as inoperable, and the teen underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for more than a year, his parents said. Despite the treatments, the teen died 2002 April 2, just before he was to graduate from Hillsboro High School.

Dr. Paul Moots, the neurologist who treated the teen, said Mosabbir and his family were extremely determined to do everything they could to beat the disease. Now, he said, the family is channelling their determination into helping other children survive. ''They were all very determined and dedicated about treating this tumour, and now they've taken that same spirit into building this centre,'' said Moots, who serves on the centre's advisory panel. ''They are turning a bad situation into something that can help many people.''

A poster-sized picture of Mosabbir hangs in the front room of the family's Bellevue home. Another picture of the teen is on the fireplace mantle, and still more family photos hang in the hallway upstairs. Khan said he misses his son ''every moment'' but finds some comfort in creating a place where poor children in Bangladesh can be healed. ''Sacrificing for others is the strongest quality Mosabbir displayed,'' he said. ''There is very little health care available in Bangladesh, and we hope we can share the burden or their tragedy and give them comfort. What we are doing is a tiny drop in the ocean, but it's a beginning.''

Because Mosabbir loved physics and planned a career in aeronautical engineering, the family created the Mosabbir Khan Memorial Physics Award, a $500 scholarship that will be awarded annually to the Hillsboro High graduate who best exemplifies Mosabbir's love of physics and strong character. Family members say they hope to increase the physics award. ''I feel he is with us and dream of him all the time,'' Panna said. ''I'm sure his soul is in peace now that the cancer centre is open.'' The legacy of giving lives on.

''Let's make them smile'' is the slogan of the Mosabbir Cancer Care Centre, which opened about three months ago in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in memory of 17-year-old Mosabbir Khan. With the support of more than 30 doctors in Bangladesh and a handful of doctors in the Nashville area, the centre is helping poor children with cancer who otherwise would have little or no access to health care. The centre's slogan is a reference to Mosabbir's ever-present smile, said his father, Mudassir Khan. ''He was always smiling and always friendly with everybody, and the unique side of his nature was his love for people,'' he said. ''What we live for now is to share our love with other children, just as Mosabbir wanted us to do.''

Khan said the $50,000 his family has invested in the centre is a ''good beginning,'' but he needs other people and businesses to step forward with donations to keep the centre going. ''Unless I get assistance, this $50,000 will disappear like that,'' Khan said, snapping his fingers. ''But I am sure once people see how this centre will help the children of Bangladesh, they will come up with positive support.''

The cancer centre is a registered non-profit organisation in Bangladesh, and Khan said he expects to receive his non-profit, tax-exempt status in this country in a few weeks. In the meantime, he is appealing to local doctors and charities for help.

Dr. Jawaid Ahsan, director of the Sumner Neurology Association, is from Bangladesh and has offered his technical assistance and expertise to the program. "Most people with cancer are never diagnosed in Bangladesh," he said. "So it is impossible to know exactly how many people have cancer. Of those who are diagnosed, few receive treatment," he added.

According to the Bangladesh Institute of Cancer Research, more than 1 million cancer patients are registered in the country, and an estimated 500,000 have cancer but have not been diagnosed. An additional 200,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 150,000 die of the disease. However, there is only one government-run cancer hospital in the country, which can accommodate only 50 patients at a time.

''Bangladesh is a very poor country, and the few percentage who are rich, fly to England or Singapore to get treatment,'' Ahsan said.

Mudassir Khan said his family had been planning to move to Nashville for years but moved the date up when Mosabbir was diagnosed with cancer. Through the centre, he said he hopes children who can't leave the country can get the care they need.

Initially, diagnostic screening and radiation treatments will be offered for as many as 20 children at a time. As more equipment is purchased, Khan said surgery and chemotherapy also will be provided. More than 30 doctors in Bangladesh have agreed to treat children at the Mosabbir Cancer Centre for a nominal fee. Khan said several doctors in this area have agreed to visit the centre at least once a year and provide training for doctors in Bangladesh. "The key to making the centre work, however, is raising enough money to keep it going," he said.

For more information on the Mosabbir Cancer Care Centre, or to make a donation, contact the Khans at [email protected]

By Samiha Esha

Campus news

Annual Musical Program at CGS

Every year, January brings excitement for everyone in CGS. The classes still continue as usual (unfortunately!), but the real fun begins after the bell rings at 2:00 p.m. A quick lunch, and then promptly down to business planning and rehearsals! For the junior classes, planning is easy (either a song, dance or drama). For the senior classes however, this is no longer an easy matter. Debates arise constantly within friends and classmates, minor squabbles turn into major fights; there is constant mayhem. Each class tries to make their production THE best one, and this also leads to conflict between consecutive classes. Official rehearsals are scheduled to start from January but many classes often start from October!

Usually the big days finally arrive on the 29th and 30th. There are two constant days of exhilarating performances, in front of an audience consisting of about a thousand people. The show flows smoothly for the audience, but for the performers this is an entirely different matter. Cramped together in the Green Room, helping each other with makeup and costumes, outwardly complaining, but inwardly tense and excited.

The thrill lies in the challenge of making everything go smoothly while there's every chance of the event messing up. And judging by the applause received over the years, I must say all the students had done an excellent job.

This year, however, the pattern is slightly different. Instead of having all the events (of all the classes) in just one program, it is split into four different parts (different classes with different timings. The venue has also been changed (this time being held in the school's auditorium instead of Engineer's Institute as always). Competition is a lot less fierce, and many new people have been able to make appearances with new ideas.

The entire program is a highly organised affair, with no chance of any mishaps happening. Seems like except for the thrill of stage performances, a lot of the excitement is lost!

Even then, the ideas and performances have hardly suffered. With cultural dances of different countries by juniors (you have no idea just how adorable kindergarten and playgroup kids look, while dancing on stage!), an amazing fashion show by class 3 students showing wedding costumes of different countries, energetic pop dances by classes 5 to 9, and a remarkable classical/western dance to a modern Bengali remix, with a pantomime by the class 12 students as highlights, the end of this wonderful month on the 30th of January will definitely be sad!

By Jennifer Ashraf

A Day to Remember at Radiant

Taking part in sports and games is the secret of good health. They are enjoyable as well as beneficial especially for growing children. The next best thing in one's schooldays after studies in sports. The students of Radiant International School are no different. It was their Annual Sports Day on the 15th of January this year. The daylong event took place at the Women's Complex in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

The weather was pleasant, not too cold and the sky clear. All the usual late comers were early that day; perhaps they were wild with excitement. The day started with Honorable Vice Principal hoisting the national flag, singing the national anthem, prayers, oath taking, releasing of balloons and doves and the last year's champion running with the torch. It was good to watch all those kids from the kindergarten section in action on the tracks. Their parents and teachers were as tenser as they were. It was the day for competition and not consideration. The crowd was excited, and the participants were all tensed up. Other students were enjoying the day as much as they could. There were no rules or official formalities. The teachers were also in the festive mood. There were several activities to take part in. The juniors entertained with their spoons and marbles while the seniors thrilled the crowd with their 200m flat race. The continuous commentary from the announcement booth was adding spice to the already heated atmosphere. The commentators were helped by the music teacher and some students, with their intermittent songs. The most enjoyable was the girl's pot breaking contest. 8 to 10 girls lined up with their eyes blindfolded to break the pots placed in front of them some distance away from the start. Some broke the pots long after the time allocated for the contest was over, only to show their frustration. The female guardians' musical chair was also a huge success. It was fun to watch all those ladies circling around the chairs and running to win. The male guardians were a bit disappointing, as for their 200m flat race no more than 2 or 3 contestants entered. The female teachers also got the chance to take part in musical chair. It was sort of unfair, as the male teachers did not have any activity on that day. To add color to the day, there was the event. "Dress As You Like." Some of the sweet, cute kids dressed up as news-vendor, bride and groom, match-maker, school teacher, green-grocer and so on to make the sports occasion even more enjoyable.

The day ended with a cricket match between class VII and VIII. There were no winners, as class VIII students never got the chance to bat after class VII's innings was over. Dr. Nazma Yeasmeen Haque, Principal of the school, was present at the prize giving ceremony. It was the king of sports day a school always looks forward to. The daylong event was delighting and the events gripping without any outward incident caused by the frustrated losers. The crowd was supportive so was the weather.

By Pushpita Saha