Adding Smiles to the Children’s Remaining Days

Yogi was 16 years old when he had a motorbike accident and broke his arm. About a month after the accident, his arm became swollen and he was in a terrible pain. The X-rays showed that Yogi had a malignant bone cancer, or Osteosarcoma.

The doctors initially proposed to amputate Yogi’s arm to prevent the cancer from spreading, but Yogi refused. As time went by, Yogi’s arm became more and more swollen and the pain became excruciating. The doctors eventually introduced Yogi to Rachel House so that he and his family can receive the support they needed. Rachel House nurses coordinated with Yogi’s primary oncologist to make sure he had adequate pain medication at home and was comfortable at all time. As the relationship developed and Yogi began to trust the nurses, they were able to slowly help Yogi understand his conditions, the treatment options available, and the consequences with each treatment option; this open and truthful discussion provided Yogi with the information he needed to make an informed decision about his life.

Yogi eventually opted for the amputation and decided to fight for cure.

Happily, tests confirmed that there were no longer any cancer cells in his body. Sadly though, this did not improve the reality of a lost arm for Yogi.

He had lost his confidence. He was too embarrassed to return to school and friends had stopped visiting him at home. For Yogi, he had not only lost his arm and a full school year, but also all his friends.  Life seemed to have left him behind.

He felt desperate and afraid. Afraid of the chemotherapy that he would have to undergo. He was not afraid of the therapy itself, but of losing again. This time, he was afraid of losing his hair as a consequence of the chemotherapy. Yogi was losing sight of even hope itself.

Then one day, hoping to ignite Yogi’s spirit and hope, Rachel House’s nurse showed him a video of people achieving amazing and seemingly impossible things even without their arms. The video had a major impact on him; Yogi understood that he had not lost everything. He realised he still had a future.

Yogi decided to pick up his hobby again, and started playing futsal with his friends.

Smiles returned on his face when the nurse visited him. He asked if Rachel House could organise for home tutoring for him, especially in English. A volunteer responded most generously and Yogi resumed his studies from home.

Yogi eventually went back to school and resumed his life in the world. He is learning to write with his left hand and is thinking about continuing his studies at the vocational institute. He is determined to be successful in the future. “I want to be a businessman, running my own business,” he laughs.

Until today, Rachel House has provided palliative care to over 2500 children and families like Yogi who are living with HIV and cancer in Jakarta. We would like to convey our deepest gratitude for your generous support, which has allowed us to continue improving children’s quality of life and adding smiles to their remaining days.