Cancer warrior giving hope to young patients

Catherine Wambugu, a blood cancer survivor. She runs Hope and Courage International, a centre that takes care of children suffering from cancer. 

Photo credit: Pool | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Catherine Wambugu was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia eight years ago.
  • While still undergoing treatment, she was diagnosed with brain tumour in 2013.
  • Years later, she is free from captivity of drugs and chemotherapy and was now on maintenance drugs.
  • In 2018, the 37-year-old started Hope and Courage International, a play centre that allows children to be children, express themselves and not be looked at as patients.

When Catherine Wambugu was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia eight years ago, nothing had prepared her for the torturous journey she would endure towards her healing.

Frequent fainting, bleeding from the nose, eyes and mouth coupled up with fatigue compelled her to seek alternative medical care having been treated for anaemia without the symptoms waning off.

A bone marrow biopsy confirmed her worst nightmare in 2012, pushing her to a confinement of anger and bitterness as she wished her life away.

“I was given six months to live but I went ahead with the first rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, hoping against hope that I would survive and beat the scourge,” she says.

While still undergoing treatment, she was diagnosed with brain tumour in 2013 and was given two weeks to live but through the help of well-wishers, she underwent treatment in India.

Chemotherapy

“Joy and freedom could not fully describe what I felt when doctors said I was cancer-free four years later. I had been freed from captivity of drugs and chemotherapy and was now on maintenance drugs,” she says.

Her hopes were dashed as the cancer recurred, this time not only draining their pockets but the energy to keep fighting.

While undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital, she met a 10-year-old on a wheelchair with blood cancer and they connected during their sessions, mainly talking about their journey with the ailment.

They challenged each other to drop the coverings on their heads to embrace their fight against cancer and show off their clean shaved heads.

“We were both frail from the drugs and chemotherapy sessions and he told me whoever dies first should pass on the wheelchair to another child with cancer,” narrates Ms Wambugu.

Wheelchair as souvenir

After the boy passed on, Ms Wambugu was left with the responsibility of passing on the wheelchair as a souvenir to a needy child ailing from cancer.

While searching for a child to gift the wheelchair, she was surprised by growing number of children with cancer and in need of walking aid and moral support.

In 2018, the 37-year-old started Hope and Courage International, a haven for children with cancer. The home is at Sunton area in Kasarani, Nairobi County.

She hosts children from needy families who cannot afford accommodation, food and transport while seeking treatment at various hospitals in the city.

“It’s a play centre that allows children to be children, to express themselves and not be looked at as patients,” she adds.

High-grade lymphoma

Mostly, she is looking after children given a timeframe to be alive of around a month to six months.

So far, she has taken in 38 children suffering from bone cancer, leukaemia and high-grade lymphoma. Eleven have passed on in the last one year. The children are aged between five to 10-years-old.

“Having them here relieves their parents of the pressure and in the unfortunate event that the children succumb, the parents are supported in dealing with the loss,” she says.

Ms Wambugu takes care of the children through well-wishers who ‘adopt a child’ and pay their National Health Insurance Fund annually to help them access medical services from different hospitals in the country.

“Most of these children are from vulnerable families and they cannot afford to pay the monthly Sh500,” she says.

Due to the challenges advanced by the Covid-19 pandemic, she was forced to close down the facility, which has seen her lose two children to hunger.

Give them hope

As a way of engaging the children, Ms Wambugu came up with “Grant A Wish’, to enable the children have fun.

“We take them for movies in cinemas, we have bought video games and other assorted toys for them to own and enjoy,” she says.

Ms Wambugu works with volunteers who not only look after the children, but also encourage and give them hope by instilling confidence in them as well as teaching them basic life issues.

“Some of these kids are in school but a majority of them refused to attend classes due to constant bullying by their peers,” she adds.

During this pandemic, she notes, it has been difficult to access medical services in hospitals due to fear of being exposed to the virus.

“Most of them have been skipping treatment due to fear of contracting the virus, which means they backtrack on their treatment and general progress,” says Ms Wambugu.

Expensive treatment

Financial constraints, lack of health insurance and access to health services are some of the reasons children from poor backgrounds discontinue treatment.

“Treating cancer is very expensive and the government should ensure NHIF supports cancer patients by covering tests universally,” concludes Ms Wambugu.

Currently, the insurance covers chemotherapy sessions but tests remain an expensive venture for patients.