Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits a cancer patient at the National Paediatrics Hospital in May this year (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – About 2,500 children in
suffer from cancer every year, said .
Lan, Director of the Cancer Centre under the National Paediatrics
Hospital, revealed the information in the programme “Con thuyen mo uoc”
(Ship of Dreams), organised last weekend in Hanoi.
The programme aims to improve people’s awareness of children’s
cancer.
She added that about 280,000 under-19-year-olds are diagnosed with
cancer worldwide every year. In developed countries, more than 80% of the
patients are cured. However, in low- and average-income countries, the rate is
only 20%.
Speaking at the programme, H.Q, 15, who used to be a cancer
patient, said that his family brought him from Da Nang to Hanoi for treatment.
“At that time, I was very young and did not fully understand
what was happening. I only saw my mother crying a lot,” he said.
In October 2010, two days before Q.’s third birthday, he received
test results of blood cancer.
Tran Thi Phuong, Q.’s mother, said, “We are farmers from
Thanh Hoa who moved to Da Nang to set up our business in 2008. We had a lot of
difficulties. We had to rent a house to live in temporarily. By 2010, when our
family economy was not stable, we still had to take care of Q.’s cancer
treatment. The treatment for my son makes our situation worse.”
Phuong’s husband had to do every work to raise the whole family
while Phuong accompanied Q. during his treatment.
“Many times, my eyes were filled with tears,” she said.
After three years of treatment, in December 2013, Q.’s situation
improved.
He was hospitalised when he was six.
Now Q. is a 10th grader in a stable health condition.
Q. said, “My family found it very hard, they thought
everything was over when I got the disease. But now it’s different. I’m
healthy. Now health sector has been developed, patients have a better chance of
fighting the disease.
“I hope that sick people will persevere in treatment to get the
same results as me, even though it’s painful, don’t give up,” he said.
Cooperation
Doctor Lan said that according to statistics around the world,
although childhood cancer is rare, it is the leading cause of disease-related
deaths in children and adolescents.
With advancements in science, technology and medicine, the rate of
children recovering from cancer has increased, bringing normal life to many
pediatric patients.
Doctor Cao Viet Tung, Deputy Director of the National Paediatrics
Hospital, called for all people to unite in action and ideas and closely work
with each other to best support children with cancer and their families to have
better access to care and treatment.
Individuals and organisations can help with cancer
through health insurance or charity funds.
The International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) takes the
yellow ribbon as the symbol of pediatric cancer.
February 15 is Children’s Cancer Day, and September is cancer
awareness month for children worldwide.
Around the world, September is a time to organise national health
campaigns, including fundraising for children with cancer, and develop policies
to support research to raise awareness about childhood cancer.
The SIOP has connected many countries and supported many families
worldwide for over 50 years.
Recently, the Global Initiative for Childhood (GICC) was
established with the desire to help countries achieve a child cancer survival
rate of at least 60% by 2030.
The National Paediatrics Hospital is a member of the GICC,
committed to supporting children with cancer./.
Source: VietnamPlus
