Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh – This is Faried, Haseeba’s husband.
We launched this site at the beginning of June to share updates on Haseeba’s treatment journey with friends and family. By the end of that same month, however, things had changed so quickly that we could no longer continue posting. This is an attempt to fill in the blanks.
When we began, our hope was that this space would help us stay connected and bring some comfort through sharing. Allahu A‘lam (God knows best) we could never have anticipated how fast everything would progress: how time would blur, emotions would surge, advice would sometimes conflict, and how making difficult decisions would become part of daily life. Eventually, sharing updates felt like a combination of misused time and reliving a painful reality, so we stopped.
Now that Haseeba has returned to her Creator, Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘oon (Indeed, to God we belong and to Him we shall return), I would like to share a glimpse of what followed after that last update, while leaving aside many of the more painful details.
After two operations near the end of June, Haseeba was discharged from Erasmus MC on 17 July. She was weaker then, and for the first time needed a wheelchair to get from the ward to the car. True to form, she still asked me to stop and take a photo – smiling, as always – to send to her siblings ❤. She was relieved to be leaving the hospital and even happier when we got home. Still, the last procedure (which was emergency surgery) had deeply traumatised her, and recovery was slow.
At home, life was different. Though her strength was limited, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), she moved about as she wanted – sometimes slowly making her way up and down the stairs, drainage bag in tow. Every few days, the bag was emptied, though nausea after eating grew more frequent. By the end of July, blood tests showed that she was low on nutrients, likely due to the ongoing drainage and occasional vomiting. The plan was for her to return to the hospital for intravenous nutrition – something she accepted reluctantly after all she had endured during her last visit to hospital.
On 31 July, Haseeba was readmitted to Erasmus MC for intravenous therapy. It helped her feel slightly stronger, though nausea worsened until she could tolerate only liquids. On 6 August, new scans brought heartbreaking news: a large tumour was obstructing blood flow through the portal vein and surrounding vessels of the liver. The doctors prescribed anti-nausea medication, which then caused deep drowsiness, and rendered Haseeba unconscious for about three days.
When she awoke on 10 August, she was disoriented and struggled to coordinate movements – even touching her own face was difficult. On Monday, 11 August, the hospital team told us there was nothing more they could offer medically. The choice they offered was between hospice care or returning home. We chose home.
Back home among family, friends and familiar surroundings, Haseeba found comfort. She was embraced by loved ones – those living here and relatives who had travelled from the UK and South Africa to be by her side. SubhanAllah, Haseeba gradually regained her coordination over the next few days as the medication from hospital wore off. For the next six weeks, she remained in bed, taking only small amounts of fluids and pain relief when required. In that time, relatives and friends returned home, but some continued to visit, pray, and read Qur’an by her side.
During the seventh week after leaving hospital – on Monday, 22 September – Haseeba went to sleep around 10 p.m. and remained peacefully asleep through that week, only occasionally showing faint signs of awareness when family spoke to her.
On Monday, 29 September, at around 12:25 p.m., Haseeba’s soul returned to her Lord. May Allah grant her Jannat al-Firdaus and forgive her shortcomings. Her janazah (funeral) was held on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, and we buried her here in Rotterdam, about seven kilometres from our home.
Alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli hal (all praise is due to Allah in every circumstance). May Allah accept her patience and reward her abundantly, and may He grant all who loved her the strength to remember her with peace and gratitude.
A heartfelt thanks for being there for us — it meant the world to Haseeba!
May you all be rewarded abundantly,
Faried
[At this point, I am unsure what to do with this website. I hope to repurpose it one day, InshaAllah (God-willing). ]