Parents of children living with cancer urged to support them
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday September 18, 2017 15:53
Speaking at Kids-with-Cancer Party at Northside Primary School on Friday, Abraham said even though it was an emotional torture for parents to see their children suffer, they must try by all means to display courage and strength before them.
It was a beautiful morning as stakeholders came together to celebrate the extraordinary courage, strength and hope of the incredible boys and girls from Botswana Baylor Children’s Centre for Excellence and their caregivers.
Abrahams said supporting children with cancer will help make treatment bearable for the kids.
Kids-with-Cancer Party themed, “Supporting childhood cancer awareness month” was organised by Northside primary Standard 7 pupils under a slogan, ‘No One Fights Alone.’ Abraham explained that those parents’ strength and courage will give their children strength to take their medication and fight for their lives. She explained that having cancer was not easy for anybody either young or old.
“I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2010. Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in the bones. When it started, I thought it was just a knee pain and will go away. At the time I was in the USA where I went for an exchange programme at the University of Nebraska. When the tests came back, I was told that I had cancer,” she said.
What started as an adventure of a lifetime took a sour turn. She said the chief radiologist in the area told her that she had cancer and she did not take the news well. She cried, as she was afraid that she might die.
Luckily, she was introduced to Dr Jeremy Slone who made her understand every tiny detail about the cancer where she later started treatment immediately. She said she went through three circles of chemo where she later went for an operation in South Africa where she had a knee replacement.
“Chemo sucks but works. I want all children getting chemotherapy to take it as a motor to their recovery. After cancer, patients always feel nervous because they are not sure if it will be back and if they are really clear from it. However, in life there are two pains; being the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
It’s better to suffer the pain of discipline than regret therefore I urge all children living with cancer to fight against this disease because we all deserve a second chance in life,” she said.The Northside Standard 7 teacher, Sara Noble said for the past 11 years, their Standard 7 pupils have been engaged in social activities. She explained that the pupils worked with various charity organisations like the Cancer Association Botswana, Ray of Hope and spent time with underprivileged children.
“We’ve had a wonderful time with fun and laughter where we learnt how important it is to share a smile, a hug and to make new friends. “Our Standard 7 students have gained a better appreciation of the things that we may sometimes take for granted and also how important it is to nurture a caring community,” she said.