Girl, six, diagnosed with leukaemia after limping receives all clear after 822 days of chemo and 130 nights in hospital

A six-year-old girl diagnosed with leukaemia after limping has finally been given the all clear after more than 800 days of chemotherapy and 130 nights in hospital.

Aashna Kharb, now nine, who lives in Newham, east London, was just six when her mother, Alpana Nagar, picked her up from school in January 2023 to find she was limping and experiencing pains in her leg.

As Aashna had fallen during a family ice skating outing the previous month, her parents thought this could be the reason for her symptoms – but after their daughter was unusually tired and could not lift her arms over her head due to being in pain, they felt something more sinister was at play.

Alpana and her husband, Sumit Kharb, both 39, took their daughter to A&E at their local hospital and, after later having a blood test, it was found all of Aashna’s blood markers were “very low”.

In February 2023, she was diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia which left Alpana and Sumit “crying buckets of tears”, and Aashna was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London where she underwent 822 days of chemotherapy treatment and spent 130 nights in their care overall.

After 28 blood transfusions, more than 200 blood tests, five life-threatening conditions and two hair loss journeys, Aashna happily celebrated the end of her treatment on April 18.

The family are sharing her story to raise awareness of her symptoms and to praise the blood donations she received from the public which “literally kept her alive”.

“Looking back, I would say to others to be on the lookout for anything that is unusual,” Alpana, who works in online retail, told PA Real Life.

“For a six-year-old, napping during the day, randomly complaining of pain in their legs and hands, not being well enough to eat – if these symptoms persist and are unusual, anybody should definitely be concerned.”

Alpana first noticed Aashna was limping in January 2023 while she was walking down the stairs from her school.

Thinking she may have hurt herself, Alpana was not initially concerned but over the next two days Aashna “started complaining about not being able to walk at all” after having pains in her right leg.

In December, the family had gone ice skating and Aashna suffered a fall, leading Alpana to believe this was why her daughter was experiencing these symptoms.

Alpana and Sumit took Aashna to A&E at Newham Hospital on January 17 2023 where, after having an X-Ray, it was thought Aashna had a small fracture close to her ankle and she was given a brace to help it heal.

“Her pain just never subsided and she was very tired all the time,” Alpana said.

“She was coming back from school and sleeping, which was very new for her, and six-year-olds don’t really nap in the afternoon.

“The red flag was really raised when she said she had pains in her hands as well.”

Aashna’s parents took her back to A&E, where an orthopaedic doctor referred her to the paediatric team at Newham Hospital – and they conducted further tests, including a blood test, on February 20 2023.

The following day, the family received a call asking them to return to the hospital “immediately” as the doctors had concerns about the results of Aashna’s blood test.

On February 22 2023, Aashna was diagnosed with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare type of cancer which affects the blood and bone marrow.

“It was a terrible day, we were crying buckets of tears,” Alpana said.

Over the next 36 hours, Aashna was transferred to GOSH as she urgently needed blood transfusions as all her blood markers were very low.

She also had a bone marrow biopsy and chemotherapy injected into her spinal fluid to “kill any cancer cells that potentially would have reached the brain”.

Aashna began chemotherapy straight away, with her diagnosis requiring two-and-a-half years of treatment overall, but Alpana said she became “very sick” with numerous infections and life-threatening conditions throughout.

These included pancreatitis, a severe mouth infection, a meningitis episode and bacterial infections.

“It was very, very tough. We were told to expect that things can go wrong while on chemotherapy, but it was all very new for us at the time,” Alpana said.

“Sumit and I were alternating who would stay with her in the night and whoever would stay would not sleep because something could go wrong.”

One week after her seventh birthday on April 6 2023, which she spent at GOSH, Aashna started immunotherapy, which uses the immune system to fight cancer.

On April 18 this year, Aashna celebrated the end of her treatment, which spanned 822 days and saw her spend 130 nights in hospital overall.

She will now have monthly follow-up appointments at the family’s local hospital, where they will check her bloods and any potential new symptoms.

“Technically, we can call it all clear because her last tests did not return any cancer in her body and she’s not on any medicine at all,” Alpana said.

“We will always have that concern and that worry about whether something is going wrong in her body though, that will always be there.”

Alpana said her daughter has had “a very big journey through all this”.

“She’s now pretty much back to her normal self, she’s part of various clubs at school and she’s a very happy, playful child,” Alpana said.

Alpana praised GOSH and the charities which have supported the family through Aashna’s cancer journey, and also said blood donations from the public saved her daughter’s life.

“She had so many blood transfusions and that’s something that literally kept her alive – blood donations save the lives of children and Aashna is a living example of that,” she said.

The family are also sharing Aashna’s story as part of GOSH Charity’s appeal to raise £300 million to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at the London hospital.

To find out more or to donate, visit: gosh.org/the-childrens-cancer-centre