Cancer puts boy’s childhood on hold, hope remains

KUCHING (Jan 6): Christian Deo Dennis’ childhood is marked by hospital rooms, needles and long days of treatment, instead of being filled with laughter and play like other children.

Diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare type of nerve cell cancer, the six-year-old is fighting for something that every child deserves – the chance to grow up.

While others get to learn their first games, Deo is learning words no child should ever have to know: ‘chemotherapy’, ‘surgery’, ‘radiotherapy’.

For him and his family, childhood was replaced overnight by a fight for survival.

“His journey is not just a medical battle.

“It is a fight against time, fear and the rising cost of life-saving treatment that many families cannot afford on their own,” said the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) in a statement.

According to SCCS medical advisor and paediatric oncologist Dr Ong Eng-Joe, patients with high-risk neuroblastoma like Deo, even after months of treatment involving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery to remove as much cancer cells as possible from the body, still require immunotherapy to destroy the remaining cancer cells.

“Without immunotherapy, children with high-risk neuroblastoma face a much lower chance of survival,” he said in the statement.

“With this specialised treatment, families are given hope – and time.

“But hope comes at a cost few families can afford.”

SCCS said Deo was one of just three children supported by the society last year, where they received immunotherapy – a treatment that could decide the difference between life and death for children with aggressive cancer.

“Deo’s case is the most expensive supported by SCCS in its history, with RM590,000 spent on immunotherapy alone.

“Since his diagnosis, Deo has endured eight rounds of chemotherapy with additional sessions, two surgeries, a stem-cell transplant, 14 sessions of radiotherapy, and five cycles of immunotherapy, with one cycle completed so far,” it said.

Beyond treatments, SCCS is also helping Deo’s family survive the daily reality of cancer.

Other than the halfway home in Kuching, which also provides food and transport at no cost and where Deo and his mother stay when they are not in treatment, the society has also covered flights and taxi fares for the treatment sessions in Kuala Lumpur, totalling RM2,543, and provided weekly hospital allowance of RM100 to support basic living needs during long hospital stays.

For Deo’s mother, SCCS has become a lifeline.

“SCCS is like a ray of light in the morning, and the moonlight at night.

“They gave us hope when everything felt uncertain.

“SCCS covered all of Deo’s additional treatment and medical costs, helped us with accommodation, food supplies and even flight tickets and taxi arrangements when we had to travel to Kuala Lumpur.

“Because of them, I could focus fully on my child’s treatment instead of worrying about money,” she said.

Deo’s mother also shared a message for other parents facing the same fear: “Patience and positivity are key as your child’s behaviour changes throughout treatment.

“Be attentive and keep learning about your child’s illness.

“When you feel tired, sad or hopeless, find something to fill that time, whether it is praying, listening to music, or watching a drama.”

According to SCCS president Mary Kiu, Deo’s journey is one of many.

“Last year alone, the SCCS spent approximately RM2 million on medical aid for more than 100 children – our highest spending ever recorded since 2001.

“Treatments today are more advanced, more targeted and more effective, but they are also significantly more expensive.

“Immunotherapy, in particular, can mean the difference between relapse and survival.

“Our role is to ensure that no family ever has to choose between finances and their child’s life,” she said in the statement.

Nonetheless, Kiu said SCCS remained steadfast in standing together with families – from diagnosis to recovery.

“We cover the additional treatment and medical costs beyond the government hospital’s primary care, provide accommodation with transport and food supplies, and assist families who must seek treatments outside Sarawak by arranging the flights, transport and weekly allowances for eligible families.

“All that we are able to do is only possible through the continued generosity and trust of our donors and partners,” she pointed.

In the statement, SCCS hailed Deo’s fight as ‘a reminder that childhood cancer is not just a medical battle, but also a financial one’.

“We rely on public support to continue funding life-saving treatments like immunotherapy.

“Every donation, no matter the size, helps give children with cancer a chance to survive — and to grow up.”

Members of the public wishing to support children like Deo can contribute to SCCS via sccs.org.my/donate-now/, or call 082-686 276, and be part of saving young lives.