"It took me a long time to realise that bad news is not bad in essence. It takes time to discover whether the news is good or bad" Saideh Ghods is heard saying in her TEDx talk. The news that day, however, was not good. Mrs Ghods’ two-yearold daughter Kiana was diagnosed with cancer on the eve of her second birthday.

The late 1980s in Iran meant that most of the medical facilities were focused on helping the Iran-Iraq war victims, who were civilians as well as soldiers, get back on their feet. The government medical facilities were hard pressed and loaded due to the extended war. Children with cancer were not even in the purview of preventive and curative medical facilities. If you went to a hospital with a child with cancer, the child was expected to die. This is how dire the situation was. Considering that the medical facilities back then were only government-run, resources were scarce for people from all economic backgrounds. It was at this time that Mrs. Ghods started treatment for her daughter. "Then, it was only the mothers that were waging a war against childhood cancer," she says. Everyone else was focused on the war victims. It was a hard time for the country.

Mrs. Ghods came from a financially stable and educationally strong family. But in the face of cancer, only surrendering to the situation worked, she feels. Mrs. Ghods went through a harrowing time. Having to go through the treatment in hospitals far away, being at the mercy of state resources and medical facilities, and not being able to receive enough information from doctors about what her daughter was going through, nor the hospitals' being able to guide parents on how to cope, she faced a harrowing time. Looking back, she says, "Whatever happens to you, however painful it may be, it is to put you on the path meant for you. When I was taking my daughter to and back from multiple treatments, many instances happened to me that cracked my heart open, allowing me to register the pain of so many less fortunate than me. The light that was lit within me transformed me inside out" Mrs. Ghods shares. Through the dark days, the pain let the light of empathy in, and Mrs. Ghods began to be deeply moved by the pain of other parents who were not as fortunate as her. She was so deeply impacted by this experience that she decided she would do something to holistically help parents in situations similar to hers. Thankfully, Kiana recovered fully, and then it was Mrs Ghods’ turn to keep her promise.

Pain, when used as a transformative tool, often transcends the human being into moving beyond the limits of the heart and mind. It often causes destruction of the limited beliefs and ideas one holds and often sets the person on the path of purpose, often making the person surrender to the higher power that governs the universe. Mrs. Ghods’ transformation was along similar lines. It gave rise to a mission that is now one of the most successful non-governmental organisations in Iran, called Mahak, to help children suffering from cancer and their families. The Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer, known as Mahak, began its activities in 1991 with the support of Mrs. Ghods’ closest friends, who financially and emotionally supported this project. Today, Mahak has a hospital and rehabilitation centre that houses diagnostic and treatment wards of the highest standards. The programme also offers regular social service and psychiatric support to the parents of sick children.

The society’s team of social workers is fully active in children’s oncology wards in nine hospitals throughout Tehran, where they provide children and their parents with medical treatment and support. Mahak pays for all related expenses, including X-rays, tests, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, food, clothing, and all accommodation during their treatment. Since 60% of the children come to Tehran from the provinces, the Social Work Department arranges for their transfer by ambulance or plane. Mahak has been officially recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as the organisation that helps refugee children (Afghan and Iraqi) with cancer both in and out of refugee camps.

Within two decades, Mahak had reached out to over 11,000 children and continues to spread its kindness to children far and wide. With the primary goal of reducing the fatalities of children with cancer, the hospital now states a fatality rate of 25% in recent times up from 75% in the 1980s.

Did you ever feel alone on this journey, I asked Mrs. Ghods. She smiles and, in her very own soft-spoken way, shares that it is never easy to make a voluntary organisation and its teams work. She is sensitive to gender issues and to the matter at hand, which is cancer treatment. A delicate approach towards both creates wonders, she feels. Did she ever face gender biases during her 30-year career and battle against children’s cancer? "Being a woman has helped me more than anything else. As women, we have far greater chances of making another person feel emotions for and towards a problem. And this helped me a lot while bringing Mahak to life", she says.
In addition to the work done through Mahak, Mrs. Ghods has gone on to help develop other NGOs such as ISCC, BCSI, and the GFI to promote Iran’s cancer treatment as well as help the environment. Today, she continues to travel throughout Iran and the world fund raising, and developing ways to foster and grow these organizations.

As a writer, Ms. Ghods was inspired to write a story based on her experiences. In 2006, she wrote the award-winning book Kimia Khatoon which is being considered to become a feature film. Mahak in Hindi means fragrance, and I feel that it is such an apt name for what Mrs. Ghods did and continues to do. May her fragrance spread through to every child who needs her kindness and parents who need the courage to keep fighting for their most precious bundles of joy.