Bergvlam matriculant obtains seven distinctions despite rare disease
Razeena Nomani first became ill in April 2021 and it took doctors a few months to diagnose her with an extremely rare autoimmune disease.
Severely ill and in and out of hospital for half of her Grade 11 year, a top-achieving 2022 Bergvlam matriculant achieved seven distinctions in her matric exams on the back of an extremely rare autoimmune disease.
Despite the numerous doctor visits, hospital stays and uncertainties of what her future would be like, Razeena Nomani, who is now on track to study medicine at Wits University this year, was determined to do her absolute best by taking each day one step at a time.
It was April 2021 when Razeena first became ill. Several doctors told her she had contracted Covid despite negative test results.
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“In June 2021, I was admitted to hospital because I had been going for blood tests twice a week at that point, and my white blood cell count started to spike. I also had a fever of 42 degrees Celsius and an extremely swollen neck, which doctors then discovered were swollen lymph nodes.”
Lymph nodes are normally 1.27cm in diameter, however, Razeena said one of hers in her neck had swollen to 7cm in diameter.
“I was extremely sick and losing a lot of weight. I was so weak, I could not even walk or do anything for myself without having to have someone help me. I had multiple tests done to try and find out what was going on, including two biopsies. A test was done for lymphoma (a cancer of the lymphatic system) and although it fortunately came back negative, we still didn’t know what the cause of all of this was.”
Eventually, Razeena was diagnosed with an extremely rare autoimmune disease: Kikuchi Fujimoto’s Disease, or histiocytic necrotising lymphadenitis.
According to rarediseases.org, the disease is a rare, benign (noncancerous, nonmalignant) disorder of the lymph nodes of young adults, predominantly of young women. The site says the disorder is often mistaken for malignant lymphoma.
“Grade 11 is a critically important year, especially since you are provisionally accepted into university based on the marks you get during it. I missed six months of Grade 11.
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“On my first day back at school in September 2021, I had a meeting with the principal who told me not to push myself too hard, and assured me it would be okay if I wanted to repeat the year. I told him I was determined to finish my school year in 2021 and proceed to matric in 2022. My family, my doctors, teachers, tutor and friends were so supportive, and I still managed to pass the year with seven distinctions.”
However, because of her weakened immune system, Razeena also contracted Covid three times during 2021, as well as swine flu (H1N1 virus) in June 2022, in her matric year.
“At some point, my immune system was so weak I had to be completely isolated to avoid getting sick. It was extremely difficult, especially for my mental health. I became anxious. I am also fiercely independent, so having to rely on people to help me do simple daily tasks made me feel like I might never get better and would always need someone to assist me.
“I had wanted to be a doctor since I was young, but now being on the patient side of things, it has made me even more passionate about the profession.”
Razeena’s motivational message: “Take each day one step at a time. If the mountain that lies ahead seems intimidating, climb a hill instead. You may not have reached the mountain peak, but you will be a bit closer than you were yesterday. Along your journey, it is important to take the time to appreciate the little things in life and acknowledge even your tiniest of accomplishments, especially the ones no one else is aware of. When you find yourself in a tough situation, remember that the darkest nights produce the brightest stars”.
