Giving children with cancer a chance

5-year-old Isaac lives in Mzuzu in the North of Malawi. He was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his kidney. In Mzuzu there isn’t a paediatric surgeon or an operating room for children. Isaacs family travelled for four hours to the Kamazu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.

Isaac’s tumour was big, it took up half of his tummy. In the UK it is rare for children to have a tumour this large because of easier and quicker access to healthcare.

Kids Operating room installed a fully equipped operating room dedicated to surgery on children in 2019 at this hospital. This means that children like Isaac who need an operation and chemotherapy are able to be treated.

The team at Kamazu Central Hospital managed to remove Isaac’s tumour and he had chemotherapy. He has now gone home and will be back for more chemotherapy. But because the surgical team had the right equipment to give Isaac the treatment, he needs his future is good and doctors are hopeful he will make a full recovery.

Isaac’s mum says she is only looking forward to coming back for more chemotherapy. Now that the tumour has been removed, Isaac’s ongoing treatment is vitally important.

We hope it won’t be long before Isaac’s family can look forward to more than chemotherapy.

Every child no matter where they live deserves to get the surgery and treatment they need, when they need it.