The Sunday News
Nkosilathi Sibanda, Features Correspondent
SHE was a bouncing baby at birth, giving her mother the brightest smile that shadowed the sorrows that will become a living toil.
Weighing a 2,5kg count on the scale, baby Familiar Muncindu was to grow a frail looking toddler, so much different from the rest of the children her age at Mucheni village in Binga. Fammy, as she is called by her mother, appeared stunted and thin. She despised some foods most children craved for. Upon examination, at the age of six, doctors at Binga district hospital said she had cancer.
The night before Fammy was diagnosed with the rare pediatric cancer, her mother Ms Bongani Muchima had stayed up late roasting maize cobs for her. The condition was a shocker, not only to her parents but the whole village. Diseases like cancer are seen as a curse, an abomination in the face of many in rural areas who believe in the African spiritual realm.
For a child to contract cancer it was new. Fammy’s mother found it hard to understand. But reality had struck. Fammy had cancer. Shame, stigma and discrimination was to face the family. Her schooling ended abruptly. Doctors said Fammy had an uncommon malignant that affects bone tissues in children.
With no money to afford the expensive treatment, the family had no choice but sit and watch their daughter wither with the cancer. Later the cancer grew worse. She developed a growth on her right lower limb and was amputated. Limping with a support crutch has been her mainstay for year. As she describes it, there was an itch that went on to develop to a lump.
“My leg became sore. I could not walk,” said the shyly Fammy as she sat next to her mother.
Ms Muchima said when doctors discovered what pained her daughter, she was stunned.
“Never in a million years did I think my child would have cancer. I only knew that cancer was a disease that affected adults,” she said as tears ran down her face.
But watching her daughter lose a leg was little for what was about to come. Now at 14 years of age, Fammy has contracted another cancer.
This time the disease has affected her stomach.
The teenager sits and wonders where she will get treatment as doctors want more than US$500. The amount is for the first part of the treatment.
“She had pains in the stomach and when we went to the doctors, they said it was cancer again. The advised that she must be operated on. The cost is $450 but I cannot afford. I am appealing for help from every Zimbabwean for my child to survive. She is in pain.”
Ms Muchina’s plea for assistance is yet to reach out. Holed up in Mucheni village under Chief Sinansengwe has made it worse. Binga is remote and people who have health conditions like Fammy hardly get help in time.
Chief Sinansengwe said they know of the little girl battle with cancer and it was the whole village’s plea to help her raise the funds for treatment.
“It is our hope that she get treatment soon,” said the Chief.
Every day, in Zimbabwe, more than 10 children are diagnosed with childhood cancer according to the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe. Childhood cancer comes as new to many families and rarely do checkups happen, a concern that rests with medical practioners who know of the severity of the disease.
Fammy is counted among many children living with cancer and have no money for treatment. In developed countries, as noted by various cancer research findings, a child diagnosed with the condition has an 80 percent chance or more of surviving whereas the survival rate of children in Africa is less than 20 percent.
Local doctors said from experience, they have realised that the causes of the diseas e are many and interrelated. Dr Witness Ncube who regularly interacts with children living with cancer said it was incumbent for society to chip in with funds to help Fammy get treatment.
“Let us help pool resources for the girl. The story of Familiar Muncindu is a touching one. It reveals the silent suffering that we as doctors see on our cancer patients,” said the doctor.
Real causes cannot be concluded. Research on the causes of cancer affecting children has not been conclusive. But, one of them is late diagnosis due to lack of awareness of cancer in children among parents, medical workers and the community at large.
“Education and awareness on the disease is paramount. The country’s health system, in particular the clinics and district hospitals in rural areas are not equipped to deal with cancer,” said one of the doctors as she narrated her encounters with cancer patients.
According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry the number of children living with cancer is on the rise. While not much is done to publicise the plight of children living with cancer, there are organisations that have advocated for swift treatment and care.
The Cancer Association of Zimbabwe explains that says childhood cancers are mostly those of the white blood cells (leukemia), brain, bone, and the lymphatic system (lymphoma). Common cancers that affect children in Zimbabwe include Wilms Tumour, Kaposi Sarcoma, Retinoblastoma, Brain Tumour and Lymphomas.
“Each type of childhood cancer behaves differently, but all develop because of an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells,” the organisation noted.
KidzCan, a Harare based organisation is known for its dedication to helping increase the survival rate of children with cancer. A report by the organisation reveals that locally 315 children get cancer.
Mr Daniel Makenzie the executive director at KidzCan said if detected early, children respond well to cancer treatment.
“No child must die of cancers. My advice to parents and guardians is to help the children get treatment early,” he said.
As Fammy and her mother sit by the small hut in their homestead, they chat in hushed tones, planning the evening meal. Life goes on.
Without treatment, Fammy fears the worse. Her mother scratches for solutions. What she knows is that the only thing that can save her daughter is the $400 needed by doctors.
