A call is being made to fathers, mothers and relatives in general, to be aware of the health of their children and not to let it go if they perceive something different in their behavior and habits.
(MERIDA, YUC. – TYT).- Civil society organizations in coordination with the Human Rights Commission of the State of Yucatan called on society in general to raise awareness about childhood cancer to identify the symptoms that occur at the beginning of the disease, which is the second cause of death among children between 5 and 14 years of age and is curable in 85% of cases.
Within the framework of the International Day of the fight against childhood cancer, which is commemorated on February 15th, a press conference was held with organizations that provide help to infants with cancer to publicize a timely detection campaign.
Atenea Evia Ancona, from Sueños de Ángel AC; Marissa Goff Rodríguez, from AMANC Yucatán; Yusi Dzib Echeverría, from the Aitana AC Foundation of Quintana Roo; Dr. Francisco Pantoja Guillén, Pediatric Oncologist at Agustín O’Horán Hospital; Miguel Óscar Sabido Santana, President of CODHEY; the patient, Naomi and her mother, Melissa Pérez López. The Este Niño Lindo AC Foundation is also part of the campaign.
Sabido Santana recognized the work carried out by civil organizations to support patients and families fighting childhood cancer and urged society in general to participate in disseminating symptoms to achieve early detection of the disease.
The President of CODHEY said that February 15 is an opportunity to generate awareness of this disease in society, in order to detect it in time and receive timely care.
Atenea Evia Ancona reported that the dissemination campaign will consist of the distribution of posters in public places and on social networks, both in Spanish and Maya, so that symptoms are known and detections are increasingly timely.
She explained that the four organizations support the families of the patients in a coordinated manner, since many have low economic resources, which is why they provide them with medicines that are not covered by health services, those that are in shortage, home improvements, construction of bathrooms, plane tickets when a study is required outside the state, celebrations, psychological support, accompaniment during treatment, among others.
Yusi Dzib Echeverría explained the main symptoms that could alert to a case of childhood cancer: loss of weight and appetite, recurrent fever, paleness, tiredness, lumps in the neck, armpit or groin, dizziness, bleeding, bruises, irregular growth of the abdomen, nose and gum bleeding, balance disturbance, red dots on the skin, seizures, night sweats, strabismus, white reflection in the eye, among others.
She said it is important for parents to go to the doctor so that children are treated promptly and not stop for fear of the disease, since the chances of being cured are in their favor if detected early.
For his part, Dr. Francisco Pantoja Guillén, said that childhood cancer is the second cause of death in Mexico, among children aged 5 to 14, hence the importance of timely diagnosis.
He reported that, of childhood cancers, 50% of the cases that are registered are leukemias, other more frequent types are brain tumors, as well as lymphomas, to name a few.
The specialist specified that at the Hospital O’Horán there are currently 100 patients who are undergoing treatment, and each year between 100 and 150 cases are diagnosed, there are minors who are treated in other health institutions, such as Social Security.
Although each case has a particular situation, the duration of the treatments ranges from 6 months to 3 years approximately; and the cost is thousands and even millions of pesos, “unpayable” figures for families facing this disease.
Regarding the shortage of cancer drugs in the country, the specialist specified that, in the case of Yucatan, thanks to joint work with civil organizations, patients who are treated in the entity have not had these problems.
In this regard, Yusi Dzib Echeverría said that, due to the shortage of medicines for cancer patients in Mexico, prices rose more than 1,000%. “What used to cost 80 pesos is now 800 pesos and it’s hard to get,” he said.
For her part, Marisa Goff Rodríguez called on society to support and contribute to the organizations, either financially or in kind, since needs arise every day for patients and their families.
And he specified that all the contributions are valuable, since, due to the condition of the families and the needs for medicines, the help is never enough and the needs are many.
WORK OF ORGANIZATIONS
The Sueños de Ángel AC Association has supported very low-income children with cancer at the Agustín O’Horán Regional Hospital for 16 years. Their mission is to give them emotional and economic support in order to make the situation they are going through less difficult.
In addition, it supports families to improve the quality of life of children through the improvement of housing, purchase of specialized and high-cost foods such as Pediasures or milk, as well as diapers, medicines, bus and plane tickets, medical studies, among other needs they have due to the disease.
The Este Niño Lindo AC Foundation has the objective of bringing love and consolation to families with children with cancer, in particular it seeks to support low-income families with the delivery of groceries, medicines, improvement and adaptation of homes for children, volunteer work , among others.
Fundación Aitana AC de Cancún, Quintana Roo, has as its mission to improve the quality of life of children with cancer, supporting them comprehensively in their treatments, with economic resources, psychological support that allow the strengthening of their social and family integration, until the culmination of your treatment obtaining the best possible result.
AMANC Yucatán, AC has the mission of helping children and adolescents with cancer so that they do not abandon their treatments, recover their health and rejoin their communities. Through its shelter, it provides accommodation, food, plane and truck tickets, groceries, psychological support, among other actions.
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