Ms Khanum Nishat Marzia was first diagnosed with a meningioma in her home country of Pakistan, back in 2012. A prominent educationist in Pakistan, Ms Nishat Marzia has dedicated her whole life to serving others by pioneering high quality education for children and young adults.

Following the detection of her 19mm meningioma, Ms Nishat Marzia’s family were determined that their mother receive the best possible care available. After meeting with all the neurosurgeons at the hospital in Karachi, Ms Nishat Marzia’s son, Alamgir Khan Feroze, decided that the non-invasive option of Gamma Knife treatment was the best course to follow for his then almost 70-year-old mother.

Alamgir initially identified a Gamma Knife neurosurgery unit in Singapore, but he also wanted a world leading surgeon to operate on his mother, which led him to Sheffield’s Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre. ‘Firstly, this hospital had the latest version of Gamma Knife machine on site. Secondly and most importantly, Dr András Kemeney, was pioneering the use of Gamma Knife for this condition,’ explains Alamgir.

Despite the large size and difficult placement of the tumour, Ms Nishat Marzia’s treatment was successful and between 2012 and 2021, she led a full, active, and happy life. However, in 2022 following a routine scan, a new meningioma was detected on the right side of her brain.

Ten years on, Alamgir got back in touch with the Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre to discover that the Gamma Knife machine had been updated to the brand-new Icon and that Dr Kemeney’s own internationally renowned protegee, Mr Rowe, had taken over his position.

After studying the MRI scans and following an extensive video consultation with the family, Mr Rowe recommended that the meningioma be treated immediately. Alamgir was reassured by Mr Rowe’s expertise and decisive action, allowing him to make a confident and informed decision.

‘The reason I asked so many questions is because I needed something to hang on, that bit of information that triggers me to make a decision,’ Alamgir explained. He said, ‘My mother worked extremely hard her whole life, we owe her a lot, everything we have is because of her. We wanted her to get the best possible treatment.’

Ms Nishat Marzia received her second dose of Gamma knife treatment in November 2022, accompanied by her devoted son and family. The intervention went well, and Ms Marzia was discharged two hours later, to return home and continue her important and pioneering work in education.