“You gave me a forever within the numbered days and I’m grateful.”
-John Green, The Fault in our stars-
How wonderful would it be if we could make a difference in someone’s life? We can’t all be as Augustus was to Hazel. Not a forever, but at least a day of laughter, happiness and company, because we are all human beings. Today, the Rotaractors of the Faculty of Science brought Project Revive to the children’s ward of the National Cancer Institute in Maharagama with the hope of fuelling the smiles of those beautiful flowers.
There are trillions of cells in the human body. Each and every cell has its reason and purpose. However, when cells grow abnormally, that malignancy causes a “CANCER” which becomes life threatening. Hundreds of innocent lives suffer because of that. There are more than 100 types of cancer. Some of its causes are the bad lifestyle habits of people. But the innocent children who become prey to this have no part in their plight.
The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. It is often genetic mutations that result in these. The common types of cancer found in children and adolescents are leukemia, tumors in the brain and the spinal cord, bone cancer, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, Wilm’s tumor (in the kidneys), retinoblastoma (in eyes), and rhabdomyosarcoma (in muscles). Cancer that affects children and adolescents are often different from that which affects the adults. They are treated differently. According to their stage of life, they have special emotional requirements which should also be taken into consideration.
Today we went to see those brothers and sisters. First in the line was drawing session at the playhouse. As the little artists expressed their thoughts on paper in various colours, much agile youngsters played with us. They rode their toy cars, bicycles and played with their dolls. Then came the amusing origami session. Guided by our very own friend Dinithi Dias, Rtr. Gayasha and Rtr. Sanduni, the little ones made butterflies and frog princes. The playful souls that were a moment earlier were now concentrated on getting the fold right for their crafts. The outcome was beyond satisfaction.
After expressing themselves and learning to make something new, it was time for them to sit back and enjoy the show. It was not just any other show, but “the Magic show” by the incredible young magician Emil Eranga. Children opened their mouths in awe at the tricks he displayed in front of them. As the magic moment came to its end, we distributed the gift packs that were packed for them with so much love and affection. Their tiny faces beamed with happiness as each of them received their gifts, saying us a small thank you.
Keeping the spirit up, started the sing along of children’s songs. Pasindu and another little girl proved to be really good singers as they came forward to sing with us. The place was filled with music. Children and Rotaractors were all singing and enjoying it with their hearts. Time flew very fast without any of us noticing. It was time to say goodbye to them. We came back looking at that bunch of smiling faces, with our hearts filled with happiness and affection for them. Project Revive was a success.
Children’s cancers tend to respond better to treatments like chemotherapy than adults. How they respond to treatments depend on the type of cancer and other factors. Coping with cancer diagnosis and treatment is different for every child based on their age group. Infants and toddlers are often afraid of being separated from their parents and of painful medical procedures. Those old enough to be in school may be upset by the disruption of their routine, and miss their friends. A challenge faced by much elder children is that it is unlikely for them to run into other patients their own age. So they often feel out of place. It’s a time in life when a lot of stressful changes are already occurring. They may resent missing out on school, social events, and spending time with friends. They will resent having to deal with it believing that they are missing out on more important things in life. The long-term side effects depending on the type of treatment they receive also become a problem. As those around them, we have a bigger role to help them get out of that feeling.
By Dinithi Hemachandra
Photographed by -Shehan Alwis
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