Kayin*, aged 20, Cameroon
Kayin was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma after noticing a lump in his neck. He made a full recovery after treatment and is now working as a carpenter.
One day, Kayin noticed a swelling on his neck and his family believed it to be a boil. They waited for a week for pus to form so the lump could be incised. Kayin found the experience very painful and took painkillers and antibiotics. When the situation didn’t improve, they went to Mboppi Baptist Hospital in Douala for a checkup. Samples were collected and sent to Mbingo Baptist Hospital for analysis. When the results were disclosed to Kayin’s mother, she burst into tears. Kayin was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma.
The diagnosis didn’t mean anything to me since I didn’t know what cancer was. All I knew was that cancer meant death.
He started treatment in Mboppi and stayed in the hospital for a while. He was in and out of the hospital for around a year.
The hardest thing when I was in hospital was undergoing intravenous fusion. Treatment really affected us. My mom stopped farming and stayed with me in the hospital. We had financial challenges during my hospital follow-up. Things were hard.
The hospital assisted with transport fares, food, and treatment costs, enabling Kayin to continue his treatment. There were times that Kayin’s mother could not afford the costs for Kayin to travel back and forth, so it was the nurses who would provide Kayin with the money for transport as well as treatment.
Before we came to the hospital, we had no support from anyone. [Without the support] it would have been very difficult for me and my family to pay for the treatment, feeding, and follow-up.
Kayin ended treatment in 2020 and is feeling stronger. His mother would go to the farm in the morning and they went about their activities as usual. However, when the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West started, Kayin stopped school and came to live with his uncle, who is a carpenter, in Douala. He began learning carpentry. Kayin is now 20 years old and working as a carpenter. His mother has returned to work on the farm as before. In the future, Kayin hopes to build an enterprise in woodwork and become an experienced tradesman so he can train other children.
I sincerely thank World Child Cancer for this great support. It is the reason I’m alive today.
*Names changed to protect identities
Hearing the news that your child has cancer is devastating. With your help, World Child Cancer is able to provide financial and emotional support to children and their families at diagnosis and beyond, to limit the damage cancer causes.
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