Anita Lahia* was aged 3 when her grandmother, Amira Sesay*, first noticed a swelling in her abdomen. Amira was told by others that it was a hernia so she resorted to herbal medication to treat it. Eventually, Anita was taken to the hospital where an initial scan was done. They referred her to the Ola During Children’s Hospital in Freetown (359km away) for treatment. Being a widow and a grandmother with no source of income, Amira struggled to send her grandchild to hospital; this was the only paediatric hospital where childhood cancer could be treated. Before diagnosis, Anita and Amira lived happily together and had a healthy, loving relationship. Amira’s family stability was impacted by her granddaughter’s illness, as she is the only person caring for her grandchildren after the death of her only daughter.

Treatment for Anita commenced following a series of investigations and counselling at the Koidu Government Hospital. She was diagnosed with Wilms’ Tumour, a type of kidney cancer, and was sent to the Connaught Hospital for surgery. Amira stated that getting an appointment for her grandchild’s surgery was very difficult but that the NGO worker and his team helped to arrange everything. The cost of treatment, including the drugs needed for the operation, was covered by the NGO. The CT scans, blood tests, chemotherapy, surgeries, feeding and transportation, were made possible with the support from Cadith, Vales University, and World Child Cancer UK.