Follow Us on Google
By Johnson Adebowale
March 31 was a remarkable day for children who survived cancer, as they met some of their sponsors, who took care of their hospital bills while they were on admission.
The event took place at the Sickle Cell Centre, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos.
The children, in company with their parents, commended Children Living With Cancer Foundation (CLWCF) for the love shown to them during their stay at the hospital.
The event was organised by CLWCF, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), when they joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Childhood Cancer Day, with the theme “Through Your Hands.”
One of the survivors, Oluchi Onyekwe, could not conceal her joy when she saw her sponsor for the first time. It was an emotional moment for many of the beneficiaries.
The founder of CLWCF, Dr. Nneka Nwobbi, said the foundation started in 2003 with the purpose of creating awareness that children also could have cancer, but it was curable.
It was also “to provide free access to treatment for children living with cancer at the LUTH and other facilities where these children are treated,” she said. Nwobbi added that, at a point, there was a need for an NGO to cater for children with cancer.
She said: “This year’s theme is ‘Through Your Hands,’ that is, through the doctors’, nurses’ hands, the media and every individual that has contributed to giving the child a relief.”
She said one of the challenges that the foundation encountered was ignorance on the side of the public: “Many people are not aware that children do have cancer and it is always difficult to bring the child on time to the hospital for treatment. Due to the fact that they bring their children late, not much can be done for that child at that time.
“In developed countries, they have 80 per cent to 90 per cent cure rate but in Nigeria it is about 25 per cent cure rate and this is because there is more awareness about children cancer.”
The founder lamented that there was no government hospitals in Nigeria that treats children with cancer for free.
She disclosed that, in the last 19 years, the foundation has taken care of more than 500 children with cancer, from different parts of Nigeria on request.
“The awareness of childhood cancer is on the increase and that is why there are more children coming out for treatment. In a month, there could be two or three cases,” she said.
She thanked the organisations that have sponsored the foundation this year.
Mrs. Omu Obiloh, a member of the board of CLWCF, stated that: “There are people who do say cancer is not their portion and because of that they will not take their children to the hospital on time for treatment.
“As a foundation, we have seen a lot of success stories, though some are not too pleasant. We have really grown because of the assistance from our sponsors, who believe in our cause.”
Osisanya Olusola, a parent whose child has cancer, said his son lost his vision because of cancer of the brain.
He said Nwobbi through her foundation has been very supportive in treating his child.
He regretted that his son lost his sight because the doctors said they didn’t bring him on time to the hospital.
He said: “When the sickness started at first, we thought that it was a spiritual attack and we went from one church to another. We also visited traditional healers but the tumour kept on growing. Unfortunately, by the time we took him to the hospital, it was too late.
“My advice to parents is that they should take their children to the hospital when they observe strange things in their children. They should not say that there is no money but they should take the child first to the hospital.”
Another survivor, Oluchi Onyekwe, said: “Thank you very much for your support. I didn’t know that she was the one that has been sponsoring my treatment when I was at the hospital.
“I am a survivor of childhood cancer. It all started when I was eight years old. I was diagnosed of ovarian cancer which is mostly found in adults. It took a lot of time and efforts for them to actually realise what was going on with me. On that fateful day that I first noticed the pain in my abdomen, my sister carried me on her back to church when I could not walk.
“We later went to so many private hospitals and some said, it was ulcer or one disease or the other but they were unable to get the correct diagnosis.
“In 2008, one day, my mother was bathing me and she realised that there was something abnormal in my abdomen, it was swollen and she said, what could have caused it? She took me to do scan and they said it was not cancerous and they removed the swollen part through operation. After they removed it, that was when the cancer became full-blown.
“Four years later, where they did the operation did not heal and I kept on having pains. I could not bend and my stomach started to protrude. There were so many suggestions from people around me.
“When I was taken to private hospitals, they all rejected me because of my condition. And when I was referred to LUTH, the doctors asked my mother why she delayed till my condition got worse.
“They explained to my mother that ovarian cancer could also affect children, and she was surprised. I was placed on treatment and I thank God for CLWCF for coming to my rescue.
“Someone came to the hospital and donated drugs to me at that time. A particular drug was over N100,000. Also, some of the tests were very expensive.
“I want to thank CLWCF for all their support. At the hospital bed, that was where I got the inspiration that I want to become a nurse to save the lives of people. Though some of the children in the ward with me died, I told God that if am able to get healed, I will be a nurse so that I will be able treat these children and help them in my own way. To God be the glory, I am in my final year in a school of nursing.”
