On Tuesday, the Diepkloof CHOC House was officially launched.
Childhood cancer has a profound effect on everyone it touches.
In South Africa, one in six hundred children is affected by cancer before the age of 16. The encouraging news is that if diagnosed early, 70% to 85% of children can be cured.
CHOC Cancer Foundation South Africa is a countrywide organisation specially established to provide holistic support for children suffering from cancer and life-threatening blood disorders.
CHOC was established in 1979 by a parent group who recognised the far-reaching emotional, financial and disruptive effects that cancer has on families and the children undergoing treatment.
The aim of CHOC is to provide a fully integrated support programme to alleviate as much stress and strain as possible, ensuring that both the children and their families maintain an optimistic outlook that is so crucial to a positive outcome.
Silvia Craucamp,a Nurse Clinical Officer of the CHOC Cancer house says: “We do not receive funding from government but rely heavily on donations from caring corporates, individuals and parents of children with cancer.
“All funds raised are used to provide direct practical help to the children and their families and those involved in the treatment.”
Craucamp said the cancers that affect children are not lifestyle related as is the case with many adult cancers.
“They most often occur in the developing cells like bone marrow, blood, kidneys and nervous system tissues. Leukaemia is the most prevalent cancer and followed by the brain and a wide variety of other tumours,” she said.
Craucamp said they’ve established various care programmes to provide:
•            A wide range of support for children and young people with cancer as well as their families.
•            Accommodation in CHOC Houses close to the treatment centres for out-of-town families as well as assistance with transport costs where necessary.
•            Information and items of immediate practical use to all newly diagnosed families.
•            Support groups to help families cope with the stress that the diagnosis brings.
“We are also committed to encouraging early detection and diagnosis as many children in our country are never diagnosed because their symptoms aren’t recognised or are identified too late.
We do this through promoting the Saint Siluan Warning Signs,” said Craucamp.
S-Seek:
Medical help early for persistent symptoms.
I-Eye
White spot in the eye, new squint, new blindness, bulging eyeball
L-Lump
Abdomen and pelvis, head and neck, limps, testes and glands.
U- Unexplained
Prolonged fever over two weeks, loss of weight, pallor, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding.
A-Aching:
Bones, joints, back and easy fractures.
N-Neurological
Change or deterioration in walk, balance or speech, regression of milestones, headache for more than a week with or without vomiting, enlarging head.
