NOT many people will ever understand what parents and guardians who have children suffering life-threatening illnesses like cancer go through daily.
Take for instance little Adi Makereta Bakaniceva, 4, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
As our report on Page 3 today reveals, the bubbly little girl was diagnosed with blood cancer last month. She was born a healthy 4kg baby to Ana Roko and Sawani Hoyt of Vunimono Village, Nausori, Tailevu.
Her mother said she was hardly sick.
“We would only visit the hospital for coughing, but last month she had to be admitted for coughing and fever. Later they found bacteria in her blood,” Mrs Hoyt said. Little Adi, she said, likes to have fun and “is very sociable”.
For many children at the CWM Hospital’s Oncology Ward, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell they are sick.
In between the rounds of strong medication, sometimes painful and being confined to their rooms for days, they are children first up, and like Adi, many of them love doing the things little children are expected to do. They laugh, cry, and are inquisitive. Many make friends easily and leave a lasting impression when it is time to go home, or move on.
In most instances, they know they are special children. They are showered with love and a lot of attention by their parents, guardians and the doctors and nurses at the children’s ward.
Being diagnosed with a serious illness though can have a massive impact on the lives of family members who have to live with the knowledge that their loved one is “different”.
Families will cling on to hope every day and must be brave for their little ones. They will spend countless nights in hospital. They will have sleepless nights and they will worry, feel frustration, doubt and insecurity.
They will grab on to anything that will give them hope and that might improve their loved one’s condition.
They will hang on to every word their child’s doctor has to say, and their close friends are the nurses and other hospital staff who attend to their child.
Most times, their pain is masked by brave faces.
So when people like the Laughing Samoans come in and give their time for these children, there is a sense of joy among family members as they see their loved ones smile with anticipation.
In their times of worry, there are beacons of hope like Eteuati Ete and Tofiga Fepulea’I who are putting on a show for such children in Fiji.
Then there are giants like national coach Ben Ryan and members of the Fiji Rugby Union development team, and some corporate organisations who would go to great lengths to bring joy and happiness to such children. They do this without a second thought.
They should know their efforts and time are appreciated.
