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I was thinking about Arians story and musing how it has always been tough to be a Mum. We have certain advantages these days – loads of distractions and activities that weren’t heard of back when I was a kid but, one other thing that I think has changed for Mums these days is that we are all too quickly put into the “helicopter mum” category or the “you worry too much” sector if we get a feeling that something is not quite right with our kids.

He was five and Arian just kept getting sick. His Mum Sanaz kept taking him back to the doctor just to be told that “boys get sick a lot when they’re young, don’t worry about it.” But Sanaz who was pregnant with her second child at the time felt it was something more than that. So, back to the doctor, she went and….back home again after hearing that everything was fine, fine, fine.

“You have postnatal depression” Sanaz was told by her Doctor after baby number two arrived. “That is why you are obsessing about your son Arian being sick” So, apparently Sanaz was the sick one and Arian was all good….

When Arian stopped being able to move his left eye Sanaz took him to an Optometrist who told her in no uncertain terms to go to Starship Hospital and get an MRI done asap. So that is what Sanaz did, only to be told that Arian did not need an MRI, it was just little impact on his optical nerves, which was quite common.

Well, needless to say – and yet I will, Sanaz and her gorgeous son (I am not exaggerating here, take another look at his picture!) were sent home again. Nothing much wrong with Arian. Again. A few days later with Arian now vomiting buckets loads, Sanaz had had enough. “I’m not leaving until you give my child an MRI,” she told them at the hospital and when she wouldn’t back down finally, Arian was booked in for an MRI.

It would actually be a nicer story if I could say that the MRI was all good and that Sanaz was given some great antidepressants which did the trick and helicopter Mum flew away and all was well in the Taherian family now but, the stories we hear at TimeOut generally turn out a bit differently.

One hour after his MRI Sanaz was told her wee boy had cancer. That it was terminal. That he had about 8 months to live. Maybe 9. No, not even a year.

But, Sanaz is not the only battler in the Taherian household though and Arian had beaten his 8-month lifespan by three years now and he is still fighting the good fight!

TimeOut was so pleased to be able to match the Taherian family up with a donated home so their family could spend some quality time together. “When you’re told that you don’t have time with your child, you build memories that you wouldn’t be able to have otherwise. It means the world!” said Sanaz Taherian.

Thank you to all our donors who provide holiday homes for our families, helping our families be together forever with their shared and sacred memories.

Read more on little battler Arian’s Christmas miracle.