Children with cancer in Bolivia hold Christmas fundraiser

Nov 30, 2015 The Children’s Hospital of La Paz recently launched a Christmas fundraiser to raise money for treatments for five children living with cancer.

Speaking at the event, Maria Fernanda, a cancer patient said:

“Christmas is to be with family and it’s enjoyed with the family,”

Marcelina Camargo, whose daughter Melani has cancer, said that by selling Christmas cards and paintings they hoped to raise money for radiotherapy equipment as well as little Christmas gifts for the children.

“Well, with the sale of cards they are going to get equipment for radiotherapy and the other part goes for medicine and also for gifts for the children, this is what the cards and paintings are going towards,”

Radiation oncologist Jean Carla Conde also stated that the lack of adequate resources for early detection of cancer and treatments in Bolivia is affecting both children and adults.

“The cancer care isn’t precarious just for children, there have been different situations in radiology, chemotherapy, where we don’t have enough medicine and also the equipment that can help us give adequate treatment, but it’s not just the treatment, we have to think about early detection, that is to say, to be able to detect cancer when it is still in an early stage and make the diagnosis in time,”