A 17-year-old boy named Hanif Mouehla who battled with sickle cell while he was still a child has beaten all odds as he graduates high school and get accepted into Harvard University.
Hanif Mouehla is a New Jersey teen who recently graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School in the United States. He was diagnosed with Sickle cell at the age of 8 which caused him a serious health crisis that almost took his life.
Hanif said he was admitted to the intensive care unit of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester County, New York. He added that his condition got so worse that the doctors had to put him in a coma after the illness caused both of his lungs to collapse.
“I had my worst pain crisis in my life where I had a 20% chance of surviving,” Hanif said.
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For six weeks, the cause of his pain was uncertain, and the doctors doubted that he would survive. However, Hanif fought back and survived the battle through an experimental stem cell transplant.
Now Hanif is sharing how the experimental stem cell transplant did not only save his life, but also gave him a purpose online. He mentioned that his survival has also motivated him to pursue a career in medicine.
“Watching the medical center as a whole, that was something I really wanted to emulate and caused me to want to choose medicine, specifically being a hematologist,” he said.
Health challenges should not be a stumbling block for you to achieve success. At Scholarship Region, we keep track of Scholarship opportunities around the world so as to inform you whenever they are available.
We share a lot of opportunities in our WhatsApp group, join the group using THIS LINK to explore these opportunities. Several scholarship opportunities are ongoing in the US, Canada and Europe. Here are some ongoing scholarships you should check out;
2O23 ONGOING SCHOLARSHIPS
Study-In-China: 2023 Schwarzman Scholars Programme for International Students
Study-In-Ireland: 2023 University College Cork (UCC) Masters Scholarships for Developing Countries
APPLY: 2023 Pan African University (PAU) Scholarship Program For African Students
Study-In-Netherlands: 2023 Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) For International Students
Hanif currently works with the pediatric hematologist-oncologist, Dr. Mitchell Cairo, who treated him during his sickle-cell battle. Dr. Mitchell said Hanif being free of sickle cell and living a healthy lie makes him happy.
“It’s kind of an indescribable feeling because, on top of seeing somebody sort of just resume their normal life, they’re now kicking in the high gear and taking on additional stress to make a difference for the next generation,” Dr Mitchell said.
Hanif joined Dr, Mitchell in the research lab last summer, sharing a common desire to find a treatment for sickle cell, an inherited blood disorder that affects over billion of people across the world.
Hanif’s sickle cell was cured through a familial haploidentical stem cell transplant from his mother, Khuraira Musa, years ago, as a result of Dr. Mitchell’s research because none of his siblings were compatible donors.
”To make sure that Khuraira’s cells could eliminate the sickle cells in Hanif’s bloodstream, the cells were supercharged in Dr. Mitchell’s lab. ”it was a wonderful journey. And for me as a parent, I only wish all parents to have what I have with Hanif today,” Hanif’s mother expressed.
Hanif said his desire to pursue a medicine career was sparked by his life-threatening experience and he has diligently worked to realize his dream in the years since his transplant and recovery. Hanif excelled academically at Northern Valley Regional High School, where he also held the position of class president and participated in football which earned him an acceptance into the Harvard University Class of 2027.
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