Until No Child Dies in the Dawn of Life
Opinion analysis by Michael Sadek, Staff Writer
June 4th, 2020
Cancer is a word, not a sentence.
In April of 2002, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Delegation came to inaugurate what would become an epitome of hope in our Lebanon. It marked the birth of an institution that has long blended science and service, an institution that continues to reach almost unprecedented milestones in the healthcare field.
Since that blessed April of 2002, the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL)[1] has treated more than 1750 young cancer patients, providing thousands of therapeutic consultations, medical processes, and psychosocial services – all at absolutely NO COST for the families. Affiliated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and in partnership with the American University of Beirut Medical Center, CCCL boasts a noteworthy 80% cure rate, having accompanied more than 40% of Lebanese pediatric cancer patients through their unique battles with cancer. And without a doubt, CCCL has changed the lives of many.
A 9-year old girl whose sarcoma forced her to lose her right lung now goes to school without trouble, travels with her family every year.
A teenage boy whose dominant right arm stiffened with radiation treatment has been trained to write, eat, and tinker with his left hand.
A former patient now spends her time volunteering at the center, majoring in biology in hopes of pursuing a passion in medicine. In her own words, CCCL helped her transform “wounds into scars, [her] cancer into good memorable moments.”
Figure 1- Pediatric cancer survival rates - 1962 vs present, retrieved from https://cccl.org.lb/p/13/Survival-Rates
Indeed, the services provided by CCCL are not limited to Lebanese citizens. In parallel with the influx of refugees into Lebanon throughout the 2011 Syrian Civil War, almost 600 non-Lebanese children were treated or offered medical consultation, without any form of discrimination. Given the scarcity of therapy centers in their war-torn home, the young patients sought refuge at CCCL, the latter providing access to top-tier services without incurring any financial burden on the parents.
But, akin to any other institution entirely dependent on donations, CCCL’s operations can radically vary with a fluctuating economy. As we have learned from the CCCL Marketing Team, the financial situation in Lebanon during the past 2 years saw CCCL incur a 2.5 million USD deficit in 2019. This has only worsened as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the world, leaving CCCL in “a heightened emergency mobilization, with an expected deficit of around 10 million dollars in 2020.”
In stark disparity, the annual treatment of a single CCCL patient entails an average of 55,000 dollars - CCCL needs about 15 million dollars in donations per year.
What does this mean for CCCL?
Unless the needed funds are raised, CCCL may be forced to limit the number of newly admitted cases at the center. And although this does not affect the already-admitted 300 patients, as “CCCL has not stopped covering all treatment costs of the patients currently under treatment”, it may put the lives of a large number of children at stake. This, undoubtedly, is especially alarming since the number of patients looking to request the services of CCCL is expected to increase, an immense burden on the center.
So yes. The great Lebanese narrative plays out once again: patients without access to healthcare. Only this time, the weight of the blow falls wholly on children.
How can you help?
“Advocacy, awareness, and donations,” says Dr. Raya Saab, Acting Medical Director at the center.
In simple terms, CCCL can truly benefit from every penny it can get. Even the smallest donations can make a substantial difference in the lives of prospective admittees to the center, and CCCL has organized both the Rescue Fund[2] as well as the Golden Ribbon Chain[3] to help cure as many kids as possible. Likewise, other civic institutions continue to dedicate a portion of their profits to CCCL, with fledgling startups such as Angelite Jewelry and Bella Luxury Boutique playing a particularly effective role.
Further, CCCL will soon be resuming its volunteer activities, providing unique opportunities for the youth to interact with the patients. Be it in the form of playing music for the children, organizing competitions for them, or donating blood to the hospital, there is a lot that each one of us can do to fortify CCCL’s endeavor towards bettering the lives of many. Having personally visited CCCL very recently and interacted with some of the children, I can wholeheartedly say that one’s mere presence at the center is gratifying beyond measure.
Every day, we witness tens of businesses shut down due to the economic impact of the virus. But an initiative like this cannot and should not halt any of its services. Supporting CCCL is a very testimony to our humanity, to our care for those whose lives have been put at stake way too early on.
It hurts to fully recognize, to firsthand see the capabilities of CCCL, yet face the risk of denying some children the right to such incredible services. It hurts to know how far Lebanon has come in terms of cancer research, battling the most indiscriminate of diseases, yet witness experiments and studies being shut down for financial purposes. Every sick child deserves the best chance at cure - it is just a question of how much we are willing to sacrifice for the institutions ready to provide that shot.
And it is reassuring to know that CCCL can and will do its best to give the children that shot.
“Today, in these tough times, we are even more grateful for those who support us despite all the challenges we are going through. Our kids need us, because cancer doesn’t wait. It doesn’t stop, and neither will we. We, thanks to the support of these individuals and organizations, will continue to fight until no child dies in the dawn of life.” (Mrs. Hana Chaar Choueib, CCCL’s General Manager)
So yes. Cancer is a word, not a sentence. And a word is just a part of a storyline, not the storyline itself. How that storyline evolves is up to said patient and how they deal with the cancer, and it is also up to us.
There are countless ways we can contribute to the storyline, change how the sentence is read. Our support, be it in the form of donations, volunteering, or event planning, can drastically influence the outcome. CCCL is in dire need for our support, so that it can, in turn, help these patients write out storylines with better endings.
And support it we must.
For more information about CCCL or to contact them, visit www.cccl.org.lb or call +961-1- 35 15 15 or +961-70-35 15 15, and follow their social media channels @CCCLebanon.