{UAH} Five-year-old needs cancer treatment

Five-year-old needs cancer treatment

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Five-year-old Alex Nadiope is in need of funds for bone cancer treatment. Courtesy photo 

By Rachel Kanyoro

Posted  Monday, September 7   2015 at  01:00

Five-year-old Alex Nadiope has a swelling in his thigh that has been diagnosed as a form of bone cancer called Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Nadiope requires assistance for treatment. 

His father, Daniel Nadiope, a chicken vendor, who hails from Luuka District, says in April this year, his son's thigh began to swell. The swelling grew bigger each day and caused the boy much discomfort. 
Since then, Nadiope has been moving from one hospital to the next seeking treatment.
He first took his son to Iganga Hospital to determine what was causing the swelling.

At the hospital, Alex was treated for two weeks and his medication cost his father Shs30,000 everyday. However, no diagnosis was given to them to clearly determine what ailment the little boy was suffering from.
After two weeks, Nadiope moved his son to St Benedict's Health Centre in Wanyange, but he was referred to Jinja Hospital which later referred him to Mulago National Referral Hospital.
At Mulago hospital, where Alex has been for the past three weeks, doctors took scans of the leg and then referred him back to Old Mulago where tissue samples were taken from him.

"Getting Shs100,000 that was required for the pathology test was very difficult for me. The drugs required are expensive and put a strain on me," his father says.
Nadiope, who left his wife and new baby back in the village, has been forced to close his business because he cannot spare time to work as he is in Kampala nursing the child. In addition, he sold all his chicken in order to cover the hospital expenses.
Dr Gonzaga Wasswa, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mulago hospital, says Alex's left thigh is infected and he will need to undergo chemotherapy to treat the cancer.
"He is very anaemic and requires a blood transfusion," Dr Wasswa adds.

Due to the different drugs that are needed for the boy's treatment, Dr Wasswa says an estimation of the cost of treatment cannot be made.
Nadiope says he needs money for a heart scan to determine if the boy can start on chemotherapy, money which he says he does not have. 
Also, the anti-cancer drugs that are required for treatment are costly and he cannot afford them. Meeting basic requirements such as soap and food has also become hard and he desperately needs assistance from any Good Samaritan.

About the lymphoma 
Lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that mainly affects children and teenagers. It is similar to a condition called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. 
Lymphoma starts when white blood cells, called lymphocytes, become abnormal and grow in an uncontrolled way. The abnormal white blood cells build up in one or more parts of the body.
Some of the symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and high temperatures.

To diagnose lymphoma, a sample of cells is removed (biopsy) from an affected area to be checked for abnormal cells. The doctor will also arrange tests and scans to find out how far the lymphoma has spread. This is called staging.
LL is fast-growing and needs immediate treatment with a combination of chemotherapy drugs. Intensive chemotherapy is given to get rid of the lymphoma. When the lymphoma is gone, more chemotherapy is given to stop the lymphoma from recurring. Treatment may take two years.

How you can help
For any assistance contact or send Mobile Money to 
Daniel Nadiope on 0787 799882.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

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"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

"But this I know, UPC believed and still believes in

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