Tasa Nugraza Barley | June 12, 2011
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. World Health Organization statistics show that, in 2007, around 7.9 million people died from cancer worldwide. What is more troubling is that children accounted for four percent of those deaths, totaling 316,000 cases.
The statistics also show that 70 percent of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle- income countries where people are unable to afford proper treatment.
It’s a sad thought, but it’s also a situation people can do something about. Here in Indonesia, people who want to help kids with cancer can become part of the Children’s Yellow Ribbon Foundation (YPKA), a group that is always looking for volunteers to help the families of children with cancer fund their medical treatment and provide emotional support.
Established in 2007, the Yellow Ribbon Foundation provides opportunities for those willing to donate time or money to support these families in crisis.
Vinessia William Putri, a 22-year-old university student, is a regular volunteer at the foundation. Vinessia said she decided to join the group because she loves children, and wanted to help children with cancer find happiness.
While she is not in a position to donate large sums of money, Vinessia hopes that, by spending time with the children, she can “add more color to their lives.”
Another volunteer, 24-year-old Fany, said she has always been involved in social work. She said the experience of spending time with the children “cannot be put into words.”
Volunteers such as Vinessia and Fany usually visit the children once a week at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital in West Jakarta. Each visit usually lasts up to three hours.
“Every visit is memorable,” Vinessia said. “It simply makes me happy. I basically just play games with the children, like Monopoly or jigsaw puzzles.” She added that they sometimes draw together or read books in the library.
Vinessia said she also spends a lot of time talking to the children’s mothers, from whom she draws a lot of inspiration.
Vinessia and Fany both said that it takes time for some of the children to warm up to visitors they haven’t met before. “Some are warmhearted from the beginning, while others may ignore you for a while before they want to get to know you,” Vinessia said.
She added that kids with cancer have a different perspective to other children of the same age. “You have to understand that life is different for them, because they suffer such a deadly disease at such a young age.”
But over time, the kids usually become more comfortable with their visitors.
“You just have to approach things slowly. When they start to accept your presence, then you can ask them to play a game,” Vinessia said.
Vinessia said seeing these little children fight against their deadly disease touches her deeply. She said she would never forget Angga, a baby boy less than 2 years old, who was suffering from stage IV cancer, the most advanced stage, meaning the sickness had already spread throughout his body.
After undergoing several operations, Angga finally recovered. He spent only another three months in the hospital before he was ready to come home earlier this month.
“He is a very cute boy,” Vinessia said. “I treated him just like my own nephew. He was too little to speak, so we spent most of our time playing games together.”
“I teased him most of the time,” she added with a laugh.
Based on her experiences as a volunteer, Fany wants to let the public know that people with cancer should not be avoided, but instead, “we need to give them a lot of love.”
She also said that, in seeing the effects of cancer firsthand, she has come to appreciate her own health and the importance of maintaining it.
Vinessia agreed. “All this time, I had heard about chemotherapy, but I did not really know what it was really like,” she said, adding that now she is very eager to keep herself healthy.
While genetic factors can increase the risk of cancer, in most cases environmental and lifestyle factors play the most important role. According to the YPKA, the best way to lessen the risk of cancer is to provide your families with a tobacco-free environment and promote a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition and regular exercise.
Article on Jakarta Globe
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. World Health Organization statistics show that, in 2007, around 7.9 million people died from cancer worldwide. What is more troubling is that children accounted for four percent of those deaths, totaling 316,000 cases.
The statistics also show that 70 percent of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle- income countries where people are unable to afford proper treatment.
It’s a sad thought, but it’s also a situation people can do something about. Here in Indonesia, people who want to help kids with cancer can become part of the Children’s Yellow Ribbon Foundation (YPKA), a group that is always looking for volunteers to help the families of children with cancer fund their medical treatment and provide emotional support.
Established in 2007, the Yellow Ribbon Foundation provides opportunities for those willing to donate time or money to support these families in crisis.
Vinessia William Putri, a 22-year-old university student, is a regular volunteer at the foundation. Vinessia said she decided to join the group because she loves children, and wanted to help children with cancer find happiness.
While she is not in a position to donate large sums of money, Vinessia hopes that, by spending time with the children, she can “add more color to their lives.”
Another volunteer, 24-year-old Fany, said she has always been involved in social work. She said the experience of spending time with the children “cannot be put into words.”
Volunteers such as Vinessia and Fany usually visit the children once a week at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital in West Jakarta. Each visit usually lasts up to three hours.
“Every visit is memorable,” Vinessia said. “It simply makes me happy. I basically just play games with the children, like Monopoly or jigsaw puzzles.” She added that they sometimes draw together or read books in the library.
Vinessia said she also spends a lot of time talking to the children’s mothers, from whom she draws a lot of inspiration.
Vinessia and Fany both said that it takes time for some of the children to warm up to visitors they haven’t met before. “Some are warmhearted from the beginning, while others may ignore you for a while before they want to get to know you,” Vinessia said.
She added that kids with cancer have a different perspective to other children of the same age. “You have to understand that life is different for them, because they suffer such a deadly disease at such a young age.”
But over time, the kids usually become more comfortable with their visitors.
“You just have to approach things slowly. When they start to accept your presence, then you can ask them to play a game,” Vinessia said.
Vinessia said seeing these little children fight against their deadly disease touches her deeply. She said she would never forget Angga, a baby boy less than 2 years old, who was suffering from stage IV cancer, the most advanced stage, meaning the sickness had already spread throughout his body.
After undergoing several operations, Angga finally recovered. He spent only another three months in the hospital before he was ready to come home earlier this month.
“He is a very cute boy,” Vinessia said. “I treated him just like my own nephew. He was too little to speak, so we spent most of our time playing games together.”
“I teased him most of the time,” she added with a laugh.
Based on her experiences as a volunteer, Fany wants to let the public know that people with cancer should not be avoided, but instead, “we need to give them a lot of love.”
She also said that, in seeing the effects of cancer firsthand, she has come to appreciate her own health and the importance of maintaining it.
Vinessia agreed. “All this time, I had heard about chemotherapy, but I did not really know what it was really like,” she said, adding that now she is very eager to keep herself healthy.
While genetic factors can increase the risk of cancer, in most cases environmental and lifestyle factors play the most important role. According to the YPKA, the best way to lessen the risk of cancer is to provide your families with a tobacco-free environment and promote a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition and regular exercise.
Article on Jakarta Globe
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