Agnes, aged 14, Malawi
Family support is vital for the survival of children like Agnes, who comes from the Mulanje district of Malawi.
Last year, Agnes’s father passed away and her mother was forced to become the family breadwinner, earning what she could from her small farm.
The family were faced with even greater medical costs when Agnes fell sick too.
After experiencing a painful swelling in her abdomen, she was referred to a children’s hospital where she was operated on to remove the growth and then discharged.
However, this did not treat the root cause of the symptoms and in October 2020, the swelling returned. A CT scan also showed there were further growths in her stomach and on her legs and she was eventually referred to Sobo paediatric ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blantyre, which is supported by World Child Cancer.
“There has been a lot of improvement since Agnes started treatment here at Sobo ward.”
It was there she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
Agnes’s mother has been by her daughter’s side in the hospital as she receives chemotherapy treatment but this means she has been unable to plant her crops and worries about what she will do for income without a harvest.
At World Child Cancer, we believe that when your child is sick, you should not have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, or if you can afford to travel to the hospital for follow up treatment.
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, World Child Cancer has been able to support the family with treatment, a place to stay and transport costs during this incredibly worrying time.
Fortunately, Agnes is responding very well to the chemotherapy and can start looking forward to going back to school.
When asked what she would like to be when she grows up, Agnes replied,
“I would like to be a nurse so that I can also help children suffering from childhood cancer. Please continue the support you are giving us.”
With your support we can continue to support families like Agnes’s, helping them to stay in treatment without ending up with debts they can’t pay. £40 could cover the training of a healthcare worker in Malawi on the early warning signs of childhood cancer, ensuring the child is referred for specialist treatment. Donate today.
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