Father writes song to his daughter who died from rare cancer
A grieving father has written a song in honour of his daughter, who was just 16 when she died from one of the rarest and aggressive forms of cancer.
Arin Ghosh, from Ashford, in Kent, was inspired to write, I Hear Your Voice, a week after his beloved Sasha passed away and he performed it at her funeral.
The song pays tribute to her and also raises awareness about her cancer, which only affects a "handful" of mainly young people a year. Mr Ghosh is calling for more research into specialist treatment for desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT).
The teenager died less than two months ago from DSRCT, which is a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma that normally grows in the abdomen but can occur anywhere in the body.
Mr Ghosh said: “Just two days before she died, Sasha said to me, ‘I wish somebody had spoken out about this disease 10 or 20 years ago. If they had, maybe things would have been different for me today’.
“The frustrating thing is that there's not enough research on this cancer. It shouldn’t be up to charities to raise funds for this kind of work.”
The family lived in the Middle East for five years but moved back to Kent so that Sasha could have a biopsy and diagnosis.
However, they were left frustrated by the lack of specialised treatment available beyond chemotherapy.
They even contacted clinicians in the US who suggested a different type of chemotherapy, but by the time Sasha had treatment, she was very weak, and it hit her badly.
Chief Executive for Sarcoma UK, Richard Davidson, said: "Desmoplastic small round cell tumour is one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of sarcoma, affecting just a handful of people each year, often young individuals full of life and potential.
"Arin's poignant song and Sasha's tragic story serve as a powerful reminder that we cannot let these rare cancers go unnoticed or underfunded."
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
