Dr Nighat Arif, a familiar face from ITV's Lorraine and This Morning, has opened up about her young son's harrowing battle with liver cancer during a special episode of Loose Women. The programme, rebranded as Loose Doctors for the day, featured a panel of television doctors who shared personal health struggles.
Dr Nighat disclosed that her second son was born with a rare liver condition, cirrhosis, which led to a 50% chance of developing liver cancer. She recalled being told that without timely intervention, the outcome would be poor, and he would need a transplant.
The doctor described becoming a 'Mama Bear', turning to Google for information and connecting with other families in similar situations. She noted that as a Black and Asian patient, her son faced a five times longer wait on the transplant list.
Tragically, her son did develop hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer. After a lengthy wait, a donor liver became available from a child who had died in a cycling accident. Dr Nighat praised the donor family as 'incredible heroes'.
Following the transplant, her son underwent eight operations, six rounds of chemotherapy, and multiple hospital stays. Now ten years old, he swims for Swim England's dive team. Dr Nighat admitted that the experience, which she described as 'dark and difficult times', profoundly changed her as a clinician and mother.
