A Cricket Champion’s Resilient Battle Against Cancer #ImpactGuruSuccess

December, 2024

West Bengal, India

In the narrow streets of Dihi Sarishapara, West Bengal, lived an innocent young man with a heart of gold, Aslam Laskar. Since he was 8, Aslam’s life revolved around bat and ball. He dreamed of playing in packed stadiums, where cheering crowds would chant his name at the top of their lungs. Having lost both his parents in a tragic accident, his passion for cricket was the only escape from his reality.

But then, what seemed like a normal leg injury from playing cricket, became a significant hurdle for Aslam’s dreams. When this painful swelling turned out to be spindle cell carcinoma, a rare leg tumor, it seemed like Aslam couldn’t possibly step on a cricket field ever again. But despite facing many losses in his life, the one thing Aslam never gave up on was hope. 

This is Aslam Laskar’s story – a boy who fought all odds to keep his dream alive.

First Innings: A Tragic Turn Of Fate

Aslam was widely known as ‘Dihi Sarishapara’s Cricket Champion’ in his village. His bat was his one true companion – he had its wooden texture memorized and could discern the sound of it hitting the ball with his eyes closed. Cricket had even captured his dreams, as he often found himself preparing for gameplays and developing strategies for future games in his sleep.

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It was one such game that changed the trajectory of Aslam’s life forever. Aslam, while trying to catch the ball, slipped and hurt his knee. Used to such injuries on the field, he didn’t think much about it until the wound started to swell and turned painful. A doctor’s visit and many tests revealed Aslam and his aunt’s worst nightmare – a cancerous tumor on his leg.

“I remember there was a ringing in my ears. It was like my world and everything I knew about it became unfamiliar in an instant. My dreams had come to a painful halt.”

– Aslam

Mid-Innings: The Beginning Of An Arduous Battle

Beyond his dreams, their financial situation plagued him like a dark cloud hovering over the doctor as he explained the next steps in his cancer diagnosis. He knew his aunt, his only family, would go to the ends of the earth for him. Still, he didn’t want to burden her even more than he already had.

Despite his concerns, his aunt sold her gold without even thinking twice, and so his chemotherapy journey began. Aslam had begun losing grip on his life as he knew it. He stayed far away from cricket and avoided his tournament trophies, whose glimmer seemingly taunted him and reminded him of a time that seemed so far away now as if it were a past life.

“Thinking of cricket had become painful. Whenever I played cricket, I believed my parents were in the audience cheering me on. Cancer had taken away the one remaining link I had to my parents.”

– Aslam

Powerplay: The Darkness Before Dawn

Although Aslam was responding well to his chemotherapy sessions, surgery was the next significant step that loomed ahead. The doctor had warned them that Aslam had to get the surgery as soon as possible or his leg would have to be amputated.

This was a gravely dark time for Aslam. As the surgery kept getting delayed, his cancer was getting worse by the minute. Bedridden, he couldn’t sleep or eat and kept worrying about his aunt, who was doing back-breaking work as house help trying to gather more funds for his surgery.

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“I felt so guilty and I couldn’t do anything. All of our life savings had already been spent in chemotherapy sessions – how could we ever acquire that kind of money for the surgery?”

– Aslam

Final Overs: A New Perspective

It is said that things get worse before they get better, which also stood true for Aslam. His journey unexpectedly hit a sixer when a hospital official, seeing their distress, introduced a way Aslam could get the surgery – by raising funds with ImpactGuru.

“It was like a crushing weight had lifted off my shoulders. The lady from the hospital asked us not to worry, and that they would handle everything from here on. I wept with tears of joy, knowing my Aslam was in safe hands.”

- Aslam’s aunt

ImpactGuru, a leading crowdfunding platform has been helping countless patients like Aslam get their treatments on time through online fundraising. Although new to this concept, Aslam’s aunt could see the purity and compassion in the lady’s eyes and decided to put full faith in her.

So, with her support, thus began their journey towards rebuilding Aslam’s dreams.

Also Read: How ImpactGuru Donors Supported a Cause Worth Rs. 85 Lakhs!

Victory: Aslam’s New Lease On Life

Months passed like seconds, with each day bringing new hope in the form of kind souls who donated to their cause. Aslam’s aunt couldn’t believe it. She had been shown a different side of the world than she was used to, a world filled with generosity and compassion. It felt like a dream too good to be true and she didn’t ever want to wake up. 

Once enough funds were raised, Aslam could finally get the surgery. Unfortunately, during the surgery, the doctors had no choice but to amputate his leg as the cancer had spread out of control. This victory felt bittersweet, but all that mattered to his aunt at that moment was that Aslam was finally cancer-free.

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The doctor had even reassured them that Aslam would be back to walking in no time with the help of a prosthetic leg, which they could thankfully pay for with the help of the raised funds. 

Aslam had been given a new lease on life, thanks to ImpactGuru’s support and the generosity of several donors. 

Post-Match Analysis: Reunited With His Passion

It is said that true strength does not come from winning, but from your struggles which truly shape you as a person. Aslam’s story had proven it to be true, after all. Even after coming back from the hospital, he didn’t give up on his strength, trying and trying until he could freely walk on his new prosthetic leg, his reborn dreams calling him.

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This journey had been hard, but Aslam rose to the challenge. Like a champion, he powered through every hurdle and managed to reunite with his passion. 

“I could not have overcome this hardship in my life if it weren’t for ImpactGuru. In the darkest time of my life, they supported me. Now that I’m cancer-free, I want to do something productive in my life and live healthily and happily. Thanks to ImpactGuru, I can finally see myself being able to play cricket again.”

– Aslam

This experience changed Aslam’s outlook on life, and he finally understood the true value of his dreams. With ImpactGuru, he was able to let these dreams back into his life again and gain a second chance at happiness.

Source: ImpactGuru

Like Aslam, many have found a ray of hope in their struggles through crowdfunding with ImpactGuru. To learn more about this, visit impactguru.com.

Also Read: Transform Lives With Kindness This Season

[Disclaimer: Quotes from Aslam and his aunt showcase sentiments expressed by them in their interviews and have been translated in collaboration with the author for consistency and clarity.]