Franklyn, aged 17, Ghana

“When they told me I had cancer I was so shocked. I was devastated. I didn’t know that children could get cancer, I thought it was something that only happened to grown people.”

– Franklyn

Franklyn was fourteen when he started to feel a constant pain in his leg. His mum also noticed that her growing teenage son didn’t have his usual appetite and worried something was wrong.

A friend of the family recommended that they go to the local government hospital. When they got there they told Franklyn that they suspected bone cancer but that unfortunately they were not able to treat him. Instead he was given a referring letter to go to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital; a specialist cancer centre which has been supported by World Child Cancer for over a decade.

When Franklyn arrived at Korle Bu, the diagnosis was confirmed; it was osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, and the treatment needed to start immediately.

When they told me I had cancer I was so shocked. I was devastated. I didn’t know that children could get cancer, I thought it was something that only happened to grown people.

Franklyn was in hospital for a long time. He had to go through twenty cycles of chemotherapy, as well as surgery to amputate his leg below the knee. Like any teenage boy, he was itching to return to normal life and constantly worried about being left behind by his classmates. However, the kindness of the doctors and nurses who cared for him has stuck in his memory.

Now seventeen, Franklyn is fully recovered and is working hard to prepare for his final high school exams. It has been a long journey with many challenges but Franklyn remains positive. His dream is to one day become a doctor so he can help others in the same position.

He is grateful that his cancer was detected when it was and has a message for other children in the same position who may be feeling fearful about the future:

If you see cancer early, it can be cured. Childhood cancer can be cured.

Help support more children with cancer like Franklyn receive the diagnosis and support they need by donating today.

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