Ever since he was a little boy, Dani had always wanted to visit a waterpark with his family. Before he had a chance though, he was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer. He was only eight years old. When first visited by Nurse Yuni from Rachel House, Dani was silent and withdrawn, spending most of his […]
Nara was diagnosed with advanced stage neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nerve cells, at just 4 years old. She received several rounds of chemotherapy – but each time her cancer would come back stronger. Soon her parents were faced with heartbreaking choice: another round of painful chemotherapy with no guarantee of success, or end chemotheraphy […]
Adam is seven years old and living with HIV. He lives with his family in a home made from cardboard boxes in a dumpsite in north Jakarta. Adam shares the space with his ailing mother, father, and a 15-year-old sister. His father’s meagre income – from collecting used plastic bottles to sell to recyclers – must […]
Ever since she was little, Ocha has dreamed about becoming an actress. Ocha lives in North Jakarta and recently celebrated her 15th birthday. But only a mere four years ago, getting to 15 would have seemed like an impossible dream. At the age of 11, Ocha was struck down by a life-limiting illness and was suffering from […]
Sharif was 2 years old when he was first diagnosed with Retinoblastoma. The cancer was first discovered on his right eye, and later spread to the left. By the time Sharif was admitted to Rachel House for palliative care, he was 5 years old and had sadly lost his sight completely. Sharif’s oncologist referred him to Rachel House […]
Rama’s situation was first revealed to us by Maulana, one of the participants at the CNPC training, and a member of the youth volunteer group (Karang Taruna). Rama is a 12-year-old boy who was completely immobilized from neck down. The exact cause of his condition was never found and a diagnosis was never made. According […]
One and a half years ago, a boy started to lose his ability to move. One and a half years ago, the boy was diagnosed with HIV. One and a half years ago, Rachel House was introduced to the boy. His name is Ardi. He is seven years old. The HIV virus had compromised his […]
Budi was five when he started complaining of headaches and blurred vision. He was also vomiting four to five times a day. After three weeks, when the symptoms did not abate, his mother decided to take him to the local clinic. The doctor diagnosed Budi with shortsightedness and prescribed him with spectacles. When the symptoms […]
In a 1-room house measuring 3 x 8 meters shared by 5 adults and 3 children, lay a little boy on a thin blanket on the floor. The room had no windows other than an open door that let in the hot dusty air, and sometimes a wandering rooster from the streets. For Sani, the […]
A home visit with Rachel House’s newest nurse – Dadan Approaching a group of houses in the late morning, there is evidence that a hard days’ work has already begun. On the ground, mung beans lay drying on a tarpaulin and the smell of fresh laundry hangs in the damp but hot air. As Dadan […]