Blood cancer victim needs $80k for transplant

05 Jun, 2016 - 05:06 0 Views

The Sunday News

Robin Muchetu Senior Reporter
LIFE for Caleb Wilson (26) from Thorngrove, Bulawayo took a drastic turn last year after he was diagnosed of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). AML is a type of blood cancer that usually develops from cells that would turn into white blood cells (other than lymphocytes). Sometimes, though, it can develop from other types of blood forming cells. Acute myeloid leukemia starts in the bone marrow. With acute types of leukemia such as AML, bone marrow cells don’t mature the way they’re supposed to. These immature cells, often called blast cells, just keep building up. The soft inner parts of bones.

Without treatment, AML can quickly be fatal. Because it’s “acute,” this type of leukemia can spread quickly to the blood and to other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes, liver, brain and testicles. Caleb’s sister-in-law Coreen Wilson narrated his story to the Sunday News.

“Caleb would always get weak and we had no idea what it was, doctors whom we visited initially thought it was arthritis because his joints were sore all the time. We were then referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare where he was tested and found positive for this condition,” she said.

She said doctors noted that the condition was not treatable but it requires that he gets regular blood transfusions and eventually a bone marrow transplant.

“On average he needs five pints of blood each month because he loses blood at an alarming rate. We also buy morphine for him and he is on a special diet too,” she said.

The family is paying $135 per pint of blood which translates to $675 per month for blood which they said was too costly for them as no one is employed in the family.

Coreen said the special diet was also a huge challenge for the family as they spend approximately $50 per week on his food.

“He is on a liquid diet, he drinks blended fruit and vegetables which cost us a lot because he needs different varieties. He cannot eat the normal food because his jaws are locked and he cannot chew food so we were told to give him a liquid diet,” she said.

To add on to this, Caleb goes for a Full Blood Count test (FBC) every month, this is a blood test used to evaluate a person’s overall health and detect a wide range of disorders, including anaemia, infection and leukemia. FBC test measures several components and features of blood, including red blood cells, which carry oxygen.

Doctors in Zimbabwe have told Caleb that he needs to do six cycles of chemotherapy or get treatment in India if possible.

“He needs six cycles of chemotherapy in Zimbabwe as a matter of urgency because his condition is serious. The other route is to go to India for chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. When we last checked it was coming to a total of $80 000 for him to travel with a donor and an accompanying person and at the moment we have no money,” she said.

A Radiation Oncologist in Bulawayo who preferred not to be named for professional reasons said it was costly to care for a leukemia patient.

“This type of cancer is expensive to manage, one can get chemotherapy but the support systems are costly, this patient will need a lot of platelets and blood transfusion and looking at the cost of these things it is not easy to raise the funds. After a session of chemotherapy they can require 12 pints of blood at one go as the chemotherapy consumes their red blood cells. That will cost $1 620 for blood alone,” she said.

The specialist said whenever they are approached by patients with conditions similar to Caleb’s, they encourage the families to first mobilise a considerable amount of money for blood and its products so that when the sessions start there is no shortage of blood.

“Some patients die after these sessions as they will not have much blood supply so it is always advisable to find money for blood first before chemotherapy starts,” she added.

The Wilson family is asking for financial assistance for his day to day living. Those willing to help can contact the family on 0775359947 or Sunday News.

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