medicine
HONORED
ANDREMEMBERED
Twins who lost their dad to cancer are cancer-fighting doctors WRITTEN BY SCOTT FALLON
When Fakhruddin Danish was diagnosed with lymphoma in the early 1990s , his twin sons , Adnan and Shabbar , were still in high school and unaware how cancer would shape their lives .
Adnan would soon be diagnosed with testicular cancer and would fight his own battle alongside his father while Shabbar , their younger brother , Aqeel , and their mother , Anjum , provided care . After surgery and chemotherapy , Adnan recovered , but his father would soon succumb to the disease .
Today , Fakhruddin Danish ’ s memory lives on every time Dr . Adnan Danish kills acancer cell with radiation orDr . Shabbar Danish performs surgery on abrain tumor . The two brothers have become well-regarded physicians in New Jersey , rising tothe top of their field with adisease they know all too well .
Adnan is chief ofradiation oncology at St . Joseph ’ s Health and works at the new Cancer Center at Totowa , run in partnership with Hackensack Meridian . Shabbar is chair of neurosurgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune .
“ Being onthe other side of cancer is something that gives us alot of perspective on what our patients are going through ,” Shabbar says .“ We know that our job is to try to give them more moments with their families . When we were 19or20 , we lost that opportunity .”
( From left ) Drs . Shabbar and Adnan Danish and their father , Fakhruddin
FROM INDIA TO IOWA TO NEW JERSEY
The Danishes ’ story begins in central India , where Fakhruddin was born and raised . He excelled so much in school that he was awarded apharmacy scholarship at the University of Iowa . After spending some time back in India , he was married and returned to the U . S . in the early 1970s , seeking better opportunities and looking tostart afamily . Fakhruddin and Anjum eventually settled in Morris County , first in Flanders and then in Roxbury . When he wasn ’ t working as aresearch scientist atCiba- Geigy , Fakhruddin could be found outside . Heloved nature , sohiking , fishing and camping trips from the Highlands to the Poconos were always on tap for the Danishes .
“ Family was always No . 1with him ,” Adnan says .“ He put all his resources into us . Heprovided us with alot of guidance , but he was strict . We definitely had to make sure wehad our days lined up and our goals set .”
‘ A WAY TOHONOR OUR FATHER ’
Fakhruddin was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1992 , when he was 49 . The brothers were juniors at Roxbury High School . Ashis dad underwent chemotherapy treatments , Adnan was diagnosed with testicular cancer . The brothers would soon enroll at Rutgers University . WhenAdnan was undergoing chemotherapy or recovering from surgery , Shabbar would be taking notes for him in class , and they would do homework together on ahospital bed .
Fakhruddin died shortly after the
brothers began college . The sole breadwinner was gone , but Shabbar says Rutgers would help the brothers get through college with scholarships and other financial aid .
The two were not always set on a career in medicine , let alone specializing in cancer .
“ Our father never pointed us in any one direction and says ‘ Do this ,'” Shabbar says .“ We realized on our own that [ medicine ] was the right path . It was away to honor our father and remember what he had to endure .”
‘ WE ’ VE ALREADYBEEN WHERE THEY ARE ’
Their careers have led them to some of the top positions at hospitals known for cancer treatment . They use some of the latest technology for brain surgery and radiation treatment , helping save and extend lives . But it ’ stheir experience with their dad and Adnan ’ s own cancer that sets them apart whenever anew patient walks through the door .
“ We ’ ve already been where they are ,” Adnan says .“ We realize the patients we take care ofare fathers , mothers . Every year they get to spend with their family is valued because wevalued every day with our dad .” ■
COURTESY OF THE DANISH FAMILY
16 FALL 2023 WAYNE MAGAZINE