“I dreamed of becoming a soldier”: the story of 17-year-old Azizbek, who defeated osteosarcoma

A diagnosis that changed his plans

Kun.uz correspondents visited the home of 17-year-old Azizbek Rakhimov from the Ahangaran district of Tashkent region and spoke with him and his mother about his illness, childhood dreams and the people who supported him. According to the teenager himself, he had been involved in boxing since childhood and dreamed of becoming a world champion and then serving in the National Guard of Uzbekistan.

Five courses of chemotherapy and the risk of amputation

The illness manifested itself at the age of 12: a tumor appeared under his knee, which initial examinations explained as bone overgrowth, and the area was operated on. Three months later, the area began to fester, and after further tests Azizbek was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — a malignant bone tumor. “At the Republican Oncology Center I underwent five courses of chemotherapy. The doctors said an operation had to be performed urgently. I could have lost my leg. Hearing this, we fell into despair,” Azizbek recalls. During his treatment, the teenager and his parents received psychological support from the Sen kuchlisan team: he was drawn into painting, and his works were put up for auction.

A return to normal life

Azizbek’s mother said that during the treatment her son’s face was swollen, but now his condition has noticeably improved and the swelling has gone down. The family continues regular check-ups: every two to three months they have examinations and X-rays. Azizbek is now in his second year at a technical college and, according to his mother, already attends classes. Painting has remained part of his life — he puts onto paper his feelings and what he wants to say. His younger brother, inspired by Azizbek’s example, is also interested in computers and IT, while Azizbek, for now, passes on to him what he himself knows.