Rashmika's story
“Hello, I’m Rashmika. I’m 18 years old and I come from Bagmati Province, Nepal. My dad died when I was six, so it’s just the three of us: me, my mum and my younger sister. I am currently living well after the complete treatment of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
In 2017 I was 14 and healthy, fit and studying for grade 9. Our family didn’t have any difficulties and life was running smoothly. But, later on that year, I started to feel unwell. I was really tired, lethargic, weak and had a continuous fever and stomach pain.
I started taking medicines from nearby medical shop for few days but it didn’t work, so I went to the hospital, located in Banepa Municipality of Kavrepalanchowk district. There I consulted with doctors who performed various diagnostic and treatment procedures.
I was there for a month. Though some of the symptoms got suppressed in initial weeks, they then reappeared, with further deterioration in my health. My family then decided to visit Kanti Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu [supported by World Child Cancer] to seek further medical advice.
It was a hard time staying in Kathmandu as my family is very poor. My mum was only doing household work and jobs on farms to make money. We got a loan from our relatives to bear the treatment and living expenses, as we needed to stay near to the hospital.
As soon as various diagnostic tests were performed at Kanti Children’s Hospital, it was identified that I had a blood cancer – ALL [Acute lymphoblastic leukemia]. We were so surprised and sad about hearing this as we didn’t have any cancer history in my family. On the same day my first chemo also started.
As well as worrying about money, I also had to discontinue from study during my treatment period. It was the toughest time me and my family have gone through in our lives.
I never believed I would get cancer but I knew it was time for me to put on my game face and that is exactly what I did.
I looked at my diagnosis as a challenge or a competition that I was going to win. There was no way I was going to allow cancer to beat me. With this determination I cooperated very well with doctors and nurses who provided great services and care. I went through 8-9 months of intensive treatment and around 1.5 years for maintenance phase of treatment. Most of my symptoms vanished in this time and I started to feel well. The encouragement and emotional support that I got from the kind and enthusiastic doctors and nurses on the oncology unit at KCH made me feel confident to overcome my disease.
I was also given nutritional care, along with supplies of eggs and milk. The diagnostic and treatment expenses which were incurred at hospital were also supported to some extent.
I was full of energy and determination, but the thought of putting toxic medicines in my body was something I needed to deal with.
My treatment completed on April 15, 2020. Over a year later I am still free from cancer. After completing my leukaemia treatment, I again resumed my studies and I’m currently in grade 10. My story is a testament that love and care is everything, along with the courage to get well again.
I have heard that KCH is the program center of World Child Cancer which is implementing a childhood cancer project in Nepal and I hope that this organization will support the cancer patients like me.
Apart from occasionally visiting KCH for follow-ups visits, I don’t spend any time thinking about the fact that I had cancer. Instead, I focus on being happy and I feel truly blessed. I continued to live my life to the fullest despite my situation. My experience of fighting ALL has also inspired me and in future I want to become an oncology nurse. I want to be able to help other people who are battling cancer.
In Nepal, average treatment costs for childhood cancer are five times the average adult’s salary. With your support, World Child Cancer helps families like Rashmika’s to access treatment and support, regardless of their financial situation.
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