NORTHPORT, NY \u2014 The community is rallying for Hailey Seemungal, 14, of Northport, who was diagnosed with cancer in June.<\/p>\n
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $16K for Hailey’s cancer fight as of Friday afternoon. People may donate here.<\/p>\n
“‘Your child has cancer.’ The scariest words a parent can hear,” her mother, Zorida Rasool-Raghoonanan, wrote on the fundraiser page. “These four words shattered our world on June 7, 2024.”<\/p>\n What started out as a 9 a.m. visit to urgent care turned into two emergency room visits ending with an oncologist at 7 p.m., Rasool-Raghoonanan said. The oncologist delivered horrific news to the family.<\/p>\n “Tears, devastation, confusion, fright … every emotion was felt that day and every day since then,” Rasool-Raghoonanan said. “Our bright star, Hailey, just had her world turned upside down. In an instant, she couldn\u2019t dream of her future anymore. Her reality felt like a nightmare. An active, athletic, smart, beautiful, kind, 14-year-old girl. Who would\u2019ve ever imagined someone of that profile would receive a cancer diagnosis? Cancer doesn\u2019t care. It doesn\u2019t discriminate. It just breaks your heart in ways you never knew possible. While we may never know how or why this happened, we couldn\u2019t focus on that. We had to pull it together to be there for our daughter while she got ready for the battle of her life, and man, is she a fighter! A warrior as called by her oncology team. To say she\u2019s had a hard journey is an understatement.”<\/p>\n Hailey has dealt with “bump after bump,” her mother said, causing each day to be filled with uncertainty and anxiety. While inpatient during induction, Hailey developed a large blood clot on her left upper arm and neck, as well as aspergillosis pneumonia, landing her in the ICU. What should have been a 30-day hospital stay turned into 57 days, her mother said. Fast forward to September, into the consolidation phase and the week of her birthday, and Hailey was admitted for complications from a treatment and a new condition emerged: PRES syndrome. <\/p>\n “Once again, doctors have no explanation of why or how this happened and we\u2019re left watching our girl face another challenge,” Rasool-Raghoonanan said. “So much has happened in such a short time. With all of this, Hailey hasn\u2019t given up. A true warrior. She\u2019s been knocked down over and over and she refuses to stay down. As parents, we wish we could make it better for her. We wish we could take away her tears and pain. All we can do is be there for her and with her throughout this chapter in our lives.”<\/p>\n Hailey is the second of three children and the “glue that holds” her family together, her mother said. Her diagnosis “devastated” her older brother and younger sister. <\/p>\n “They\u2019re best friends,” Rasool-Raghoonanan said. “When she\u2019s in pain, we\u2019re in pain. There is no greater emotional roller coaster ride than watching your child go through the ups and downs of chemotherapy, praying for more good days than bad. There is no preparation for cancer. It\u2019s not a journey anyone should go through alone.”<\/p>\n The family has had to make sacrifices to ensure Hailey’s needs are fully met and that she never feels alone, her mother said.<\/p>\nFind out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.<\/h2>\n
Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.<\/h2>\n