Everything changed for Zahra Khakoo and her family with one doctor's appointment. Her husband Arif was hesitant to see a doctor about a sore he found in his mouth. When it didn’t go away after 3 weeks, Zahra encouraged him to go and get it checked out.
That appointment turned their world upside down. Arif was diagnosed with oral cancer.
“When you hear the word cancer it’s easy to automatically get scared,” recalls Zahra. “We were worried but tried to remain positive.”
Arif had surgery and underwent 32 rounds of radiation. Doctors told his family that he was cancer-free but just 4 months later, his cancer returned and this time it was terminal. He only had 6 months to live.
Zahra shared the news with loved ones and immediately they encouraged her to take part in the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life to honour her husband and his cancer experience.
As Arif continued treatment and could not attend Relay For Life, he encouraged Zahra, their 5-year-old daughter Ziyanna and their friends to form a team. On Relay Day, Zahra and her team “Salo Cancer” joined their community in Calgary and walked in honour of Arif and everyone else affected by cancer.
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“I feel like Arif waited for us to finish the Relay event so that we could honour him. It was a sad time in our lives, but it was great to have the feeling of support from our community,” says Zahra.
The first Relay experience left a lasting impression for Zahra and her team. They felt inspired to continue Arif’s legacy and remained active at their local Relay. Together, they have raised over $100,000 through Relay For Life to change the future of cancer forever.
“By participating and fundraising during Relay For Life we all get one step closer to finding a cure and stopping cancer from taking more of our loved ones. We want to eradicate cancer and ensure that no one has to go through what we went through,” Zahra says.Make a difference at Relay this year
For over 20 years, Relay For Life has united a national community of people committed to providing support and hope to those living with and beyond cancer. With 2 in 5 Canadians expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, signing up and fundraising for Relay is the most impactful way for you to support people affected by cancer. Each of us has a role to play when it comes to taking on cancer.
There are many ways to support Relay and people like Zahra. You can participate at your community’s Relay For Life event, or you can sign up for Relay My Way and help fund life-saving cancer research from anywhere in Canada.