A Moroccan family is demanding accountability after a «serious medical error» allegedly worsened their son's health, as he was mistakenly treated for leukemia instead of lymphoma. This has led to dire complications, prompting an urgent call for investigation and public support to cover the escalating medical costs. Mohamed Saber ‹ › A family has denounced what it describes as a «serious medical error» in the treatment of their 15-year-old son, Mohamed Saber, saying it worsened his condition and complicated the course of his illness. According to the family, he was mistakenly treated under a leukemia protocol instead of one for lymphoma, leading to a deterioration in his health and progression of the disease to an advanced stage. Speaking to Yabiladi, his mother, Bouchra, said her son's ordeal began on June 10. The family, originally from Tetouan, noticed significant weight loss and consulted a general practitioner while he was preparing for his third-year middle school exams. Initial suspicions pointed to anemia or a minor issue, but tests revealed lymphoma. A protocol mismatched with the diagnosis He was urgently referred to the university hospital in Tangier, where a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. He then began chemotherapy, undergoing five sessions. «However, his health began to deteriorate gradually until he lost the ability to stand, which prompted me to request further tests to assess his response to treatment», Bouchra said. According to her, the results showed no improvement. Instead, the disease progressed to stage four. Despite being prescribed additional medication for four weeks, his condition worsened significantly by the third week. Upon returning to the hospital, she says she was told that «his condition was hopeless and no longer responding to treatment», and was advised to take him home. Refusing to give up, the family sought a second opinion from an oncologist in Rabat. After reviewing the medical file, the specialist reportedly discovered that Mohamed had been receiving a treatment protocol intended for leukemia rather than lymphoma. He was immediately transferred to a clinic in Salé. According to the family, the Rabat-based doctor contacted the Tangier hospital to report the situation, but «the response was shocking; they said the case was hopeless and that my son only had a few days left». The specialist nonetheless insisted on correcting the treatment and provided an urgent letter recommending the appropriate protocol. However, Bouchra said that upon returning to the Tangier hospital, the correct treatment was not initiated. Her son remained there in critical condition for three days before the family transferred him again to the clinic in Salé. «There, he was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit. He had developed venous thrombosis, and his lungs contained nearly three liters of fluid. He remained on artificial ventilation for eight days and developed sepsis and high blood sugar levels», she said. Doctors then began the appropriate treatment protocol (LMB), which, according to the mother, should have been administered from the outset. «His condition improved, and the tumor size decreased by 47%», she said. However, complications persisted, as doctors indicated that the disease had become resistant to chemotherapy due to the delay in receiving the correct treatment. High cost of treatment After four sessions, the treatment was switched to another protocol, R-POLA-ICE. He underwent three sessions, each costing around 90,000 dirhams, totaling more than 270,000 dirhams, with no reimbursement from social security. A PET scan showed only a partial response, leading doctors to recommend CAR-T cell therapy, a treatment currently available only in Europe. The family contacted a hospital in Paris, where the cost was estimated at around 500,000 dirhams, but the treatment is limited to patients over 18. In a last attempt, the family contacted a hospital in Barcelona, which requested the child's full medical file. While they obtained documents from the Rabat doctor, Bouchra said the Tangier hospital refused to provide records related to the initial phase of treatment. Given the seriousness of the case, the mother is calling for an urgent investigation to determine responsibilities and hold those involved accountable, stating her intention to pursue legal action. She stressed that her primary concern remains saving her son's life, as he continues to battle the disease under critical conditions. She also appealed to the public for support to help cover the cost of treatment, describing the situation as a race against time.
