Graduate leads cash drive as he battles tumour
AUNIVERSITY graduate battling a brain tumour is urging others to get checked out before it’s too late.
Basharat Hussain, 33, has suffered migraines since being a teenager.
But it was only in 2015 when he was finally diagnosed with a stage four brain tumour, which meant the cancer had spread to other parts of his body.
Medics told the former Falinge Park High School Pupil, known as Bash to friends and family, that they needed to operate quickly to save his life.
Basharat, who studied at the University of Huddersfield and worked at Morrisons on Kingsway for 10 years before leaving to run his own shop, said: “For a few weeks I didn’t understand what was going on, I was getting confused and forgetting things. Eventually my uncle told me to go to hospital, they did a scan and found the tumour.
“They told my family it was a stage four tumour and unless they operated immediately I was in the last stages.”
The operation was a success, but because the cancer had spread Basharat has also had to undergo gruelling courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
And the combined effects of the surgery and the treatment have left him with memory and mobility problems while his eyesight and hearing have also been affected. He also had to give up work, suffers from seizures and is no longer able to drive or leave the house unaccompanied.
He said: “I get confused easily, I suffer a lot of falls, and I’m in a lot of pain but I’m trying to keep smiling.”
But despite the devastating effects of the tumour, Basharat remains defiantly positive.
He has thrown himself into raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care and drafted in dozens of friends, family and neighbours to help.
Basharat, of Spotland, said: “I was at the Christie and I realised there were lots of people suffering more than me so I thought I wanted to do something to help.
“So the next day I picked up a collection box and started collecting money from my family. At the end of 30 days there was £90 in there and it’s just grown from there.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, but I’m staying positive. I’m going to drive again, I’m going to get my job back. If you are negative, nothing happens. You have to think positive.”
Now there are 35 collection tins in homes and shops across Rochdale with the family planning to leave them out until August before handing over the cash to Macmillan.
And Basharat and his family also hope to raise awareness of the importance of spotting the symptoms early.
Bash’s sister Farzana Bibi, 41, said: “Cancer can affect anyone, yet so many people, especially in the Asian community are nervous or shy about getting checked out.
“We want to raise awareness of how impor- tant it is to get examined early. Go to the doctors, push the issue, because we don’t want anyone to go through what Bash is going through and what we as a family are going through.”
Basharat currently undergoing another course of chemo, before a having a scan next month which will hopefully show the remaining cancer cells have been killed off.
Rose Tipton, from Macmillan, is also paid tribute to his remarkable positivity.
She said: “It is just fantastic that somebody who is going through so much pain and is having to change their entire life like Basharat has had to do is thinking of others.
“I cannot imagine how dreadful it must be for Basharat, yet he is incredibly positive and his passion for helping Macmillan is amazing. We are extremely grateful to him.”