Diagnosis and Treatment
When Maariya Khan was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21, her goal was to walk down the aisle independently on her wedding day.
As part of her treatment, she underwent radiotherapy followed by an operation to remove two muscles from her right thigh, which left her with minimal movement.
"My life was on pause, everything just kind of stopped,"said the now 24-year-old from Greater Manchester.
"Being so young, you can't imagine going through a diagnosis like that."
Maariya was diagnosed with alveolar sarcoma, a rare type of soft tissue cancer, and was treated at The Christie hospital in Manchester.
"[The diagnosis] had a really negative impact on my life,"she said.
"Just having to adjust your life moving forwards, with the hospital appointments, the treatment plans, the surgery, everything."
Support and Rehabilitation
She worked closely with occupational therapist Debra Jones, who helped her regain her independence after treatment.
As a gesture of gratitude, Maariya invited Debra along with physiotherapist Tom Reading to her wedding in February 2025 so they could witness her walk down the aisle.
"I think for them it's like a success story seeing a patient go through treatment, rehabilitation, overcoming an illness and seeing them walk down the aisle,"she said.
For Jones, watching Maariya walk down the aisle was a truly "proud" moment.
"We felt we helped her get there on her journey and we couldn't have been more pleased to be invited,"she said.
Life After Treatment
Maariya completed her treatment in November 2023.
She has since returned to university to train as an occupational therapist, inspired by the work of Debra Jones.
"When you've gone through an illness, you have a lot more empathy with other people who are in similar positions and that inspired me to make a difference in other peoples lives as well,"she explained.
"I want to provide the support that Debra provided me.
"No matter what you go through in life you can come out of it in a positive way."
Additional Information
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