A mum has revealed the terrifying journey her little boy has been on after stubbing his toe led to a horror diagnosis.
Amina Haq became worried when her son Zak’s toe turned purple after banging it against their washing machine, and failed to recover even with antibiotics.
Her “whole world turned upside down” when doctors discovered the cause – little Zak, just two at the time, had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a form of fast-developing blood cancer.
The brave lad battled intensive chemotherapy and lumbar punctures, having treatment for three years – but, incredibly, Zak has made an incredible recovery.
His proud mum saw him ring the bell to signify the end of his treatment last summer and, now five, Zak is finally the thriving child he was born to be.
“It was surreal to see him ring the bell, and to know that we were finally coming to the end of that journey,” Amina, 41, from Crawley, West Sussex, told Need To Know.
“Zak responded as well as we could have hoped to treatment, but it was incredibly hard to watch him go through it – both emotionally and physically.
“This will be our first summer without hospital visits or chemotherapy, so we’re planning to really enjoy it.”
Amina and husband Suhaib’s concerns started in May 2022 when Zak stubbed his little toe on their washing machine.
Two days later, the then-toddler’s toe had turned purple, and they took him to A&E, where he was given antibiotics.
He stayed in overnight for blood tests, which found the terrifying underlying cause: cancer.
Amina, a stay-at-home mum to Zak and daughter Kyra, seven, said: “When he was diagnosed I felt disbelief and shock.
“Our whole world has turned upside down.
“We were overwhelmed and extremely worried.
“It was first thing in the morning when we were told he had cancer, and that an ambulance was waiting outside for us.
“I felt numb. It was all very rushed and happening fast.
“There was no way and no time to take it all in.
“We learnt that Zak’s immune system was very low and that if he hadn’t had the toe injury, we would have found out about the cancer another way at some point.”
Zak was initially admitted to East Surrey Hospital, but was later transferred to St George’s Hospital, in London where he was placed in an intensive care unit.
Doctors suspected he had also contracted a flesh-eating disease, but luckily this was not the case.
The family had a tough road ahead as they tried to come to terms with the tragic news of his diagnosis.
Zak began his treatment in London, at times being “absolutely petrified” of the doctors and nurses coming to take samples, losing his hair, and struggling through more than a year of chemo.
But it was all worth it, and in July 2025, he was finally able to ring the bell to signify the end of his treatment.
During his treatment, he spent time helping family friend Ken restore a Morris Minor, which he is now driving from Crawley to Granville in France to raise money for the Rainbow Trust and St Catherine’s Hospice.
Amina said: “Helping Ken work on the car gave Zak something positive to focus on through some very difficult days away from hospitals and treatment.
“He really took to being involved in the Morris Minor restoration – he would hand Ken tools, try to work out how each one worked, sit inside the car and keep Ken company by chatting and asking questions while he worked.
“It became something really positive for him to focus on during the difficult days.
“So it’s a really meaningful journey for Zak [to be a part of], especially after recently finishing treatment and ringing the bell.
“It’s not just about the distance, but about turning something that helped Zak during his illness into something that can now help other families going through similar experiences.
“It’s a way for him to give something back.”
Now, the family are looking ahead to their first summer without hospital visits or chemotherapy for years, and plan to make the most of it with days out and a trip to Disneyland Paris.
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