Sharing moments of happiness to bring hope that can brighten young lives
QUALITY of life and moments of hope help children deal with cancer treatment, was the message from a Reach For A Dream gathering held on August 7 to mark Women’s Day.
Speaking at the Reach For A Dream Women’s Day breakfast, Professor Janet Poole, a renowned paediatric oncologist, Reach For A Dream “dreamers”, and board members of Reach For A Dream outlined the benefits of quality of life and moments of happiness for children undergoing cancer treatment.
Poole, who specialises in paediatric oncology at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre, said her journey as a paediatric oncology and haematology expert had begun in 1985, as a registrar at Johannesburg Hospital.
“I fell in love with the kids. The truth is that some children do die, but mostly it’s the most rewarding place. My passion is for all children to develop to their full potential, and if I can make a difference in some of these little people’s lives, it’s worth it. Even with the advances made in the treatment of childhood cancer, we can’t save them all, and we will at times lose the battle. It is sad, but with every child diagnosed and treated – whether they survive or not – it’s a lesson learnt to take forward and do better with the next child,” she said.
Among patients that stood out in her mind were an 11-year-old girl with stage 4 cancer, Poole said. “She was very intelligent, very brave and she decided not to go through any more treatment. Through the social workers, myself and her parents, we gave her a plan of action whereby she was at home and had a very good quality of life for about a year. In the last stages of her life she still managed to be cheerful.
“She really taught me that even if treatment can’t be curative, there’s still time to have some quality of life at home with the family. And although the family were very sad, I don’t think they ever regretted their decision.
“They had spent time with her, they had gone on holiday, and done all the things they should have done as a family, which they probably would not have been able to do had she said we want to go to the next degree and have treatment.”
Poole noted that in South Africa, too few children were diagnosed early – or at all – with referral pathways from primary healthcare often inadequate and cumbersome, and resource constraints in state facilities.
“I would like to see more children diagnosed at earlier stages, so that fewer resources and less treatment is needed, and the risk of long-term complications is reduced,” she said.
“I would like to see every child with cancer being afforded the opportunity to be treated properly and to be able to live a normal life.”
Poole said there was evidence that the best place for a child with cancer to be treated is in a paediatric oncology unit by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists, including doctors, nurses, social workers, dietitians and physiotherapists.
“We should be treating all children – at least up to the age of 16 years – in specialised paediatric oncology units. This has been shown worldwide to be the norm, that children treated in a paediatric oncology unit with a multi-disciplinary team around them have better outcomes than those treated individually by a single doctor,” she said.
Poole recalled that the first child to receive a dream from Reach For A Dream, in the early 1980s, had been in her unit.
“It was a little boy with a rare genetic disorder and leukaemia. His dream was to fly in a helicopter and to ride a horse. I will never forget the look on his face when he was given his dreams. Sometimes the children are not well enough to go for a treat, so some of the dreams are done in the hospital. And it doesn’t matter what it is; there is always an enormous smile that lights up their faces when they get their dream. And that’s what Reach For A Dream is all about – it’s a moment of happiness in time. It’s special for the patients and their families, and makes a difference in their little lives.”
Two “dreamers” – beneficiaries of Reach For A Dream – described having their dreams fulfilled as highlights during their treatment. Their parents, too, expressed gratitude for the way in which their children’s lives had been brightened by the Reach For A Dream Foundation.
The foundation notes that whatever the dream, it often gives the child hope and courage, helping them believe that tomorrow is worth fighting for. The positive effect of the “dream come true” often lingers, and children often respond better to their treatment as a result.
Dr Craig Nossel, a board member of the Reach for a Dream Foundation, said Reach For A Dream had a significant role to play in the overall treatment of children with cancer.
“When you have kids who are sitting in a hospital bed, normal activities that we take for granted become almost impossible. Reach For A Dream tries to make these children’s dreams come true, and it is very rewarding to see how their faces light up at things we may take for granted – like riding a bike, or having a birthday party.
“We are all a call or an email away from helping to fulfil a child’s dream, and we would like to call on doctors to refer children to Reach for A Dream so that their dreams can be fulfilled too,” he said.
Reach for a Dream, which was named as the top NGO in the country in 2016, fulfils the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness. Inspired by the US Make-A-Wish Foundation, Reach for a Dream has been bringing hope, joy and a welcome distraction to children with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and leukaemia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, renal failure and various blood disorders for the past 28 years. Reach for A Dream fulfils six dreams per day, 365 days per year. To date, Reach For A Dream has fulfilled 16 805 dreams and positively impacted on 300 000 children who have life-threatening diseases through dream fulfilment and various projects. For more information, visit http://www.reachforadream.org.za
Sotirianakos is chief executive of Reach for a Dream Foundation