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 […]

Karina is a three-year-old girl who has lost her mother and brother to HIV. Karina’s father is a gentle spirit, also suffering from HIV: now, they only have each other. The family moved to Jakarta from their village to earn a living.  Karina and her father are living in a car park during the day […]

There are many stories that are left untold in the daily travels of Rachel House’s nurses – stories tucked deep in their hearts that speak of great devastation. This is a story of a little boy’s brave journey. Miki was 6 months old when problems began. It started initially with a simple cough… that never […]

Patient history “Mom, I know I am dying. What is the point of spending more money on chemotherapy when we know it will not make the cancer go away! Please save the money for a business you can start when I am no longer here.” These words, spoken with such wisdom from a 14 year-old, […]

Patient History Siti was the only child of a young couple from West Jakarta. She was first diagnosed with cancer in July 2007, a year after she had fallen in the shower while still learning to walk. According to Siti’s parents, the fall had resulted in a bad wound around her coccyx that never healed, […]

What Rachel House Means to Me – A Mother’s Perspective Lala, my daughter aged 6 and half, was diagnosed with advanced stage Neuroblastoma on January 12, 2009. At the time, we were still living in Canberra where I was pursuing further studies on a scholarship. When Lala had a relapse in April 2010, we (Lala, […]

A Day in the Life of a Rachel House Nurse – by Jasmine Cross It takes Susi two and a half hours to reach Rachel House’s satellite in North Jakarta. A long, tiring journey by motorbike through the heavily congested streets of Jakarta, but it is essential. Her motorbike provides a lifeline to her patients. […]

Patient history “Sister Luki, I am calling to say I have missed you and all the nurses at the hospital…” This was a call that came in April 2010 that reconnected Zaidin to help. Zaidin is 14. He has been fighting cancer for over 2 years. In the middle of his battle, his mother died […]

Patient history Baz was 7 years old when he was first brought to our attention in February 2008. He had been sent home by his oncologist with poor prognosis of no more than a few months to live. He had neuroblastoma. But as soon as Baz arrived home, he insisted on going back to school, […]