Little Didi* has been living with HIV and serious lung infections all his life – but thanks to the tireless support of nurse Rina and the team at Rachel House he can now breathe easy and focus on his homework. A story by Avril Delgado, who spent a few weeks of her summer holiday with […]
Semangat Hidup Pejuang Kanker Cilik
Artikel diterbitkan oleh Detik.com Sore itu Vino, bukan nama sebenarnya, tampak begitu gembira. Anak laki-laki berusia 8 tahun itu sangat antusias memamerkan koleksi ikan-ikan aneka warna di dalam stoples kaca. Seekor ikan cupang dengan buntut warna merah yang baru saja dibeli untuk mengisi akuarium mininya membentot perhatiannya. “Yang ini (sambil menunjuk ikan buntut merah) harganya […]
A Sea of Smiles
On a beautifully sunny and clear day, 21 children aged between 2 – 15 and their families gathered with great anticipation outside Ocean Dream Samudra in Ancol, Jakarta’s largest waterpark. The children, all patients of Rachel House, have looked forward to this day with great anticipation; for many of them, it would be their first […]
Deni – Living Every Day With A Smile on His Face
To the east of Jakarta in the city of Bekasi, a three-year-old boy lives with brain cancer. Deni* has been struggling with a tumour at the back of his brain and the side-effects of the intensive chemotherapy routine on his small body. Rachel House’s nurse, Dadan, describes some of the side effects as ‘semutan’, an […]
Bima’s Story – A day on the MRT with Ibu Diah
Headaches and nausea have plagued Bima* for countless days and months. Waking up with blinding headaches, which often measure 3 or 4 out of 5 on a pain scale, is his daily reality. Standing in the morning assembly in school fraught with nausea or vomiting is often the tragic shame he wears. Bima, 11 years […]
Lala’s stongest protector – her “Popo”
Little Lala* was being lovingly attended to by her grandmother “Popo”, when the team from Rachel House – nurse Fibrya and community health worker Risma – recently called to their home to check up on this sweet little girl. Lala is a lovely 13-year-old girl, who has been living with a serious illness from the […]
“You’ve got a friend in me” – volunteering at Rachel House
The thought of coming back to Jakarta during a break from studying overseas and doing absolutely nothing besides getting stuck in traffic trying to get to the malls or cafes seemed like a waste to me. Thankfully, I was fortunate to be able to volunteer my time at Rachel House, Indonesia’s first home-based pediatric palliative […]
“Before her parents died, they asked me to take care of her. So I must”
Triya* was enjoying a big bowl of bakso (meatball soup) when nurse Ria from Rachel House recently visited her home in South Jakarta. Simply seeing Triya eating a full bowl of bakso like any other eight-year-old girl brought a smile to Ria’s face and to that of Triya’s grandmother. This is because it demonstrates that […]
A Hello Kitty Birthday
In a tiny one-room home in central Jakarta, a young girl celebrates a very special 5th birthday. On this happy day, little Diana* is surrounded by several generations of her family and some of the nurses from Rachel House; cuddling her new friend with joy and glee – a giant pink Hello Kitty that is […]
Tyas’ Story – Courage in the Face of Adversity
Tyas is almost 15. She was just seven years old when she first heard the word “tumour”, back in 2010. She didn’t understand the meaning of the word back then, nor the impact it would have on her future. The agonising treatment, paralysis and the eventual amputation. Tyas’ story is one that tells of the […]