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Melissa Chekwa
JACQUELINE Tendai Ushewokunze III (17) was in Grade Four when her life started taking a turn that she had not anticipated.
After a series of blood tests and endless visits to Bulawayo doctors that cost her at least US$10 000 in 2011, Jacqueline was petrified to find out that she was on Stage 4 of the Wilms’ Tumour; cancer of the kidney.
“It was a really terrifying phase. Some other children who were also on stage 4 did not make it and so I was scared, not knowing where my fate lay,” said Jacqueline.
It was not until a doctor directed her to Kidzcan Foundation in Harare, that she finally had hope that at least one day she could make it.
Kidzcan is an organisation focusing on children cancer relief in Zimbabwe and works in collaboration with Parirenyatwa Hospital which houses the only paediatric oncology unit in Zimbabwe.
Upon receiving the warm welcome at Kidzcan, Jacqueline said she started her treatment for free.
Kidzcan paid for all her bills including transport from Harare to Bulawayo and everything else that was required to have her kidney operation.
“The chemotherapy made me experience a lot of side effects. I endured throwing up, being bald everywhere because of the Doxorubicin drug, loss of appetite and intense loss of weight.
“At some point I skipped the whole school term because I was sick but I survived repeating because my grades were good,” she said.
Kidzcan, as a children cancer relief Non-Governmental Organisation was founded by a cancer survivor, Andrea Wahtman in 2009.
The organisation not only sponsors the Ward 4 (cancer ward) unit at Parirenyatwa Hospital but gives psychosocial and financial support to the children affected and their guardians during their time of treatment.
Kidzcan director Daniel McKenzie said: “The process of diagnosis from the chemotherapy to the drugs prescribed is taken up by us. We have partnered with Racecourse Pharmacies to supply us with the medication required.
“We also offer bus fares, admission packs and simple basic amenities like towels, toothpaste and the like. So the patients do not pay for anything during their treatment period.”
The treatment on its own, depending on the type of cancer, costs about $2 000.
Kidzcan funding is generated from donations. Seventy-five percent of the funds are attained locally while the remainder is generated from other international donors.
Kidzcan has worked with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Australian grant, Unicef and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
Recently, SATIB Insurance Brokers held a Dwala Health and Fitness Fair to raise funds for Kidzcan. It was sponsored by Dwala Health Insurance, SATIB Insurance, Masca, Masca Assist, Health International, United Refineries Limited, ABC Auctions and Creative Centre.
Seven hundred and fifty people attended the Fair and $25 000 was raised. ABC also held a fundraising auction during the fair and all the cash proceeds of $1 900 were donated to Kidzcan.
Several local artistes also donated their works for the auction, including Brian Mandizira, Joan Darlow, Sandy Evans and Blessing Chakandinakira.
“The money raised will go towards helping the organisation to assist and support children with cancer, and their families, throughout Zimbabwe,” said the marketing manager of SATIB Insurance Brokers.
Children are mostly affected by Wilms’ Tumour; cancer of the kidney, Leukaemia; cancer of the blood and Retinoblastoma; cancer of the eye.
Jacqueline said: “The most common and unnoticed one is retinoblastoma which starts as a little dot on the eye that parents overlook until it develops to be as big as a fist. It can even spread to the brain which is normally hard to cure.”
Since its establishment, Kidzcan has registered about 4000 children that it assists.
“On a daily basis we receive about 30-50 children coming to register. We have 35 beds to admit some of the children,” said McKenzie.
In a bid to raise more awareness that cancer can be cured and survival is possible, Kidzcan has also sought to empower health personnel.
“We are training two nurses each from different hospitals in Harare and seven from Chitungwiza to detect and be able to tell the types of cancers from children who are coming for routine clinical check-ups,” McKenzie said.
He added that they were in liaison with the Government to include cancer screening in baby vaccination cards in the next three years.
Kidzcan also raises awareness that it is never too late to start treatment where there hasn’t been an early detection. Positive results can always be yielded.
After being diagnosed in 2011 with stage 4 cancer, Jacqueline was completely cured in 2015.
Now Jacqueline, as strong as anyone with her hair fully back on, is living a normal life, as a Form 5 student and prefect at Trust Academy.
Online Reporter