The final 39 days: Heartbreaking pictures show the ravages of cancer victim

The final 39 days: Heartbreaking pictures show the ravages of cancer as it stole photographer's brother just one month after diagnosis


  • Malaysian photojournalist Ahmad Yusni documented his younger brother Mohammad Sani's battle with cancer 
  • Heart-wrenching photo diary charts Mohammad's final days after being diagnosed with terminal 'germ cell' cancer
  • Vivid images show the pain and suffering Mohammad went through as the rare cancer ravaged his body 
  • Mohammad died just 39 days after diagnosis at the age of 33. He was buried alongside his father and brother
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2546646/The-final-39-days-Heartbreaking-pictures-ravages-cancer-stole-photographers-brother-just-one-month-diagnosis.html#ixzz2tGlndOqW


This heartbreaking series of images show the final days of a cancer sufferer as he slowly succumbs to his deadly disease. 
Malaysian photojournalist Ahmad Yusni documented his younger brother Mohammad Sani's final 39 days after he was diagnosed with terminal 'germ cell' cancer.
The collection of images reveal in vivid detail 33-year-old Mohammad's pain and suffering as the rare condition ravages his body right up until the moment he died. 

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Heartbreaking: Mohammad Sani, 33, pictured sitting in a wheelchair in a hospital toilet in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 12, 2013, after being diagnosed with a 'germ cell tumour'
Heartbreaking: Mohammad Sani, 33, pictured sitting in a wheelchair in a hospital toilet in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 12, 2013, after being diagnosed with a 'germ cell tumour'

Final days: Mohammad pictured trying to ease his constant back pain from a cancerous tumour in a hospital a hospital in Malaysia on December 14, 2013. He died just 39 days after being diagnosed
Final days: Mohammad pictured trying to ease his constant back pain from a cancerous tumour in a hospital a hospital in Malaysia on December 14, 2013. He died just 39 days after being diagnosed

In agony: Even morphine failed to ease Mohammad's constant pain in his back which made it impossible for him to sleep. He is pictured here on December 14, 2013, smoking a cigarette in a hospital lavatory
In agony: Even morphine failed to ease Mohammad's constant pain in his back which made it impossible for him to sleep. He is pictured here on December 14, 2013, smoking a cigarette in a hospital lavatory

Ahmad said: 'It was very heart-wrenching for me to see him struggle and not be able to help him. Two long nights watching him at the hospital made me cry.'

    Ahmad reveals he had already lost a father and another sibling when his younger brother Mohammad was diagnosed with a 'germ cell tumour'.
    He said: 'We lost two loved ones in two consecutive years (2011 and 2012), my dear father and brother. It was really painful for our family.
    'Then, in 2013, we found out that my younger brother had a critical stage cancer called "germ cell tumour". From our conversation with the doctor, we learned that the cancer was considerable, blocking his kidneys and frontal stomach.'
    Ahmad told how his brother was in constant pain because of his condition, which is clearly visible in the photos he took of him.

    Terminal: Mohammad, pictured on December 14, 2013, underwent surgery to remove the tumour but was left in even more pain
    Terminal: Mohammad, pictured on December 14, 2013, underwent surgery to remove the tumour but was left in even more pain

    Picture of health: Mohammad Sani pictured in 2010. By the time he found out he had a 'germ cell tumour' in November 2013, it was already a considerable size, blocking both his kidneys and his frontal stomach
    Picture of health: Mohammad Sani pictured in 2010. By the time he found out he had a 'germ cell tumour' in November 2013, it was already a considerable size, blocking both his kidneys and his frontal stomach

    Mohammad Sani, pictured at his home in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 11, 2013, shortly after his diagnosis with cancer
    Mohammad Sani, pictured at his home in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 11, 2013, shortly after his diagnosis with cancer

    'It caused him constant pain even though the doctor had provided him with the strongest morphine,' Ahmad recalls. 
    'He was unable to lie on a bed to sleep even for a few minutes. Due to complications he could neither eat nor drink.
    'A surgery to remove an infection left him in even more agony.'
    Germ cell tumours mainly develop in the ovary or testicle but it can, on rare occasions, be found in other parts of the body. They tend to grow faster than other types of tumours and have a lower five year survival rate.
    In the UK germ cell tumours generally respond very well to chemotherapy and most people are cured.
    Ahmad had started the photo diary in the hope that it would end with his brother smiling and well on his motorbike, but he said it soon became clear he was not going to survive the disease.
    Mohammad underwent one course of chemotherapy but his body too weak to attempt another course when it failed to stop the cancer. 

    Painful: Mohammad Sani, pictured struggling with pain on his bed, in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 11, 2013, was left unable to eat or drink
    Painful: Mohammad Sani, pictured struggling with pain on his bed, in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, on December 11, 2013, was left unable to eat or drink

    Waiting to die: Mohammad Sani, pictured in hospital with an oxygen support mask on December 23, 2013, shortly before his death
    Waiting to die: Mohammad Sani, pictured in hospital with an oxygen support mask on December 23, 2013, shortly before his death

    Suffering: Ahmad Yusni's photo diary of his brother Mohammad's final days, pictured, lay bare his suffering and pain
    Suffering: Ahmad Yusni's photo diary of his brother Mohammad's final days, pictured, lay bare his suffering and pain

    He said: 'I lost hope that he would recover due to many complications. I found my prayers to God changing: "God, plaese stop his pain, even death is the only choice, I can't stand to see his suffering anymore".'
    But he said his brother remained strong right up until the moment he died despite his awful suffering. 
    'Even through this long and painful battle, he said thank you to me and told me that he loved me,' Ahamd said. 
    'Deep in my heart, I felt he would leave us soon when he told me that our father and brother had called upon him for three consecutive nights to join the, in his dreams.
    'Then, on an early Saturday morning, he left us forever. His heartbeat dropped dramatically. Although sad, the expression on his face showed that he had found a peaceful, deep sleep.'
    As Mohammad had requested, the family laid him to rest beside his father and brother in the same cemetery.
    Saying goodbye: Mohammad, who died at the age of 33 just 39 days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, is pictured in his coffin as the final preparations are made for his funeral in his hometown of Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia, on December, 28, 2013
    Saying goodbye: Mohammad, who died at the age of 33 just 39 days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, is pictured in his coffin as the final preparations are made for his funeral in his hometown of Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia, on December, 28, 2013

    Final resting place: The graveyard where Mohammad Sani was laid to rest alongside his father and brother in his hometown in Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia, on December 28, 2013
    Final resting place: The graveyard where Mohammad Sani was laid to rest alongside his father and brother in his hometown in Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia, on December 28, 2013

    Sumber: Dailymail UK
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