Tisungeni Chitseko lives in southern Malawi with her parents and two siblings. Tisungeni was three years old when she developed a mass in her abdomen. Her parents took her to the village healer several times before finally consulting a local doctor. Fortunately for Tisungeni the local doctor spotted signs of cancer. She was transferred the same day to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital/ College of Medicine in Blantyre – about 90 kilometers from her home village. Her grandmother accompanied her because her parents were unable to take time off from their jobs. Tisungeni was diagnosed with Wilms tumour (kidney cancer) by Professor Molyneux and her team. Even within a developing country Wilms tumour is receptive to surgery and chemotherapy and children like Tisungeni can be saved with appropriate treatment.

Tisungeni and her grandmother remained in hospital for more than two months for preoperative chemotherapy, surgery and then two post operative chemotherapy courses. She was allowed to return home for several weeks before the final chemotherapy session. Despite Tisungeni’s family being reasonably well off by local standards they still struggled to pay for transport costs. As a result Tisungeni and her grandmother received free transport to and from the hospital. Many families are unable to afford basic travel costs and this can be a major reason for the high number of children who abandon treatment. Fortunately, Tisungeni completed her full course of treatment and returned to her village fit and healthy. A follow up visit by Mr Banda, the clinical cutreach officer, six months later confirmed that she was continuing to do well.

World Child Cancer is helping the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital develop and improve its care of children with cancer through facilitation of a twinning partnership with Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, UK which provides essential medical expertise and funding for costs.