Tears, courage, and heartbreak filled the air as mothers of children with cancer shared their stories to mark the end of Joy Cancer Awareness Month, one of them having lost her child to the disease, while another continues to hold on to hope as her little boy fights for his life.
For Diana Budu, the memories of her little girl, Petra, are both beautiful and painful. “I lost my daughter in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on September 25, three years ago. She was almost three years old when she died. She had leukaemia,” she said.
Like many parents, Diana didn’t know her child’s condition was cancer until it was too late. “I noticed the sickness, but I didn’t know it was cancer. She was eating well, playing well, so I thought it was just a boil,” she recalled.
Read also: Joy Cancer Awareness Month: Expert warns parents on early signs and treatment of childhood leukaemia
After several herbal remedies failed, someone advised her to visit the Children’s Hospital in Accra. “The doctor examined her and told me it was cancer. I became scared because she was my first child.”
Without much preparation, Diana was referred to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for surgery. “I went there with just the dress my daughter and I were wearing because I didn’t know we were going to stay long,” she said.
For three long months, she stayed in the hospital with little Petra. “Lifeline came in and gave us some clothes. I became happy because I could now change the only clothes my daughter and I had.
The NGO also provided accommodation and helped with half of the treatment costs.
After surgery, hope returned. “Everything was successful. I was happy because my girl could now eat well and do anything,” she said.
But seven months later, tragedy struck again. “One day, I realised that when she was easing herself, she cried a lot. The doctors said it had come back again. I didn’t understand because we were still in the hospital.”
The doctors fought to save Petra, but the cancer was too aggressive. “I would be there and she would be in pain, shouting. If I looked at her, she would turn her face away because she was in so much pain,” Diana said, struggling to hold back tears.
Then came the darkest moment. “The doctors told me one afternoon that they had tried their best, so I should take my daughter home,” she said.
“The next morning, at 3:30 am, my girl passed away. It was exactly a week for her to be three years old. My happiness was lost because of cancer.”
After her loss, Diana had no help from anywhere but Lifeline for Childhood Cancer, Ghana reached out again.
“They called me after a year and gave me skills. Now I can bake cake, pie, everything pastries. I have a certificate. I am happy and I thank Lifeline so much,” she said.
She now cooks for other parents whose children are undergoing treatment at Korle-Bu. “It was just me and my family from the beginning, but they became tired because I was always asking for money. When I heard Lifeline was helping us, I didn’t call home again.”
For Hawa Mahama, her story is one of struggle and endurance. A young mother from Salaga North, Hawa’s two-year-old son, Ubaidulai, is still fighting lymphoma cancer.
“Before the sickness started, it began like a boil at the side of my child’s eye. We took local treatment, but it wasn’t doing anything. One of my friends from Accra came to see it and told me it was cancer, so we should go to Tamale Teaching Hospital.”
At the hospital, doctors carried out tests but did not begin treatment immediately. “Before they referred us to Korle-Bu, the boil became too big, the eye was covered,” she said.
At Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Hawa’s life changed completely. “They started with more labs and scans every day. I lost everything, including my business, my savings. I have two children; the other one is with my mother, who is old, so I’m the only one taking care of the house,” she said.
Then Lifeline stepped in, giving her a reason to hope again. “We suffered before we heard that Lifeline has been helping people in Korle-Bu. They keep us at a hostel for three weeks while we come for treatment. They pay half for our labs, and we pay the rest for medicines.”
Beyond financial support, Lifeline also trained Hawa and other mothers in new skills. “Because we don’t do anything, Lifeline found skills for us to learn. I learnt bakery. I am a dressmaker, and since I have lost everything, I believe when I go home after the treatment, by the grace of God, I will practise it.”
Her son’s treatment continues with regular chemotherapy. “If he takes the chemotherapy, he can’t eat, he becomes weak, and his temperature rises. If he is feeling pain, I am also not able to eat. I feel very bad,” she said.
Though her family’s support has faded, Hawa’s faith remains strong. “If not Lifeline, I wouldn’t have been here. It is because of Lifeline that’s why we are still here. They give us food, skills, and training,” she said.
Executive Director of Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana, Akua Sarpong, mentioned the high cost and limited coverage of childhood cancer treatment in Ghana.
“Childhood cancer is not cheap,” she said. “For easy cancers like retinoblastoma, you need maybe about 20,000 cedis just for the treatment. Leukaemia can go as high as 120,000 cedis and that’s without counting infections, medication, or a mother being out of work.”
She explained that Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) only covers four childhood cancers retinoblastoma, leukaemia, Wilms tumour (cancer of the kidney), and Burkitt’s lymphoma leaving many families without support.
“We need the government of Ghana and the national health insurance to step up and cover all cancers. Even the current support is not comprehensive. It covers some, but not all chemotherapies, and access remains a challenge.”
“Cancer is cancer. Every child with cancer deserves the same access to care, the same treatment.”
She also spoke about Lifeline’s ongoing struggle with space and resources. “Every year, it’s likely that up to 1,400 children will get cancer before they turn 15, but we are only able to see about 500 in Ghana. At Korle-Bu, we treat between 250 and 300 children every year, yet our unit has only 24 beds.”
To address this, the organisation has begun constructing a 40-bed childhood cancer unit at Korle-Bu. “We are about 78% done with the core structure. The total project cost is $1.6 million, and we are appealing to individuals and companies to help us complete it.”
She encouraged Ghanaians to make a difference, no matter how small. “If you have a company, take us on as your CSR project,” she said.