Help to Families
Supporting families taking care of children diagnosed with cancer is extremely important. Every time parents hear this diagnosis in respect of their children they are overwhelmed by confusion and it seems like "the end of the world" will happen for them. Parents are often scared, realizing the hard fight that awaits their child, and them as well.
Enhancing the parents' confidence in accepting their child's illness and the struggle that follows is an essential condition for successfully facing all the challenges that follow - long-term treatment of about 9 to 12 months, financial expenses, ignoring other family members, psychological states, etc. Only a well-informed parent / family member is able to defend, protect and promote the rights of their child, both during medical treatment and during recovery. This is especially important given that, according to the hospital rules, the presence of one of the parents or of a close relative (grandmother / grandfather, sister / brother, aunt / uncle) as a caregiver of the hospitalized child is mandatory. Under such conditions, the caregiver must possess the knowledge and skills of caring for the child in chemotherapy treatments, without having additional specialized training on the matter.
Therefore, it is very important to make sure that the adult caring for a child suffering from cancer is well-informed and trained to become a true advocate of their child, to fight for the protection of their rights, to seek medical help in case the condition worsens, to know how to support the child.
The situation is much more complicated when talking about socially vulnerable families. It is well-known that the Republic of Moldova is the poorest state in Europe, and a considerable part of its citizens have such low incomes that they live at the limit of their existence. It is these families who need the most help when their children are in serious medical condition. The lack of money sometimes leads to the abandonment of treatment, and this situation is fatal for children - in the absence of treatment, cancer inevitably results in death.
In order to support this category of families, within the Association, we have approved the Regulation on support measures by the Public Association "Life Without Leukemia" to the families of children with onco-hematological diseases, hospitalized in the Pediatric Hematology Unit of the Oncological Institute (Minutes 2/2019 of June 9, 2019), which sets out the procedure of granting aid through the Association programs.
In 2019, through this social support programs for the families of children with onco-hematological diseases, hospitalized in the Pediatric Hematology Unit of the Oncological Institute, we provided assistance for 19 families (financial aid, hygiene items, clothing, etc.).
Crucial role of the family during treatment
Enhancing the parents' confidence in accepting their child's illness and the struggle that follows is an essential condition for successfully facing all the challenges that follow - long-term treatment of about 9 to 12 months, financial expenses, ignoring other family members, psychological states, etc. Only a well-informed parent / family member is able to defend, protect and promote the rights of their child, both during medical treatment and during recovery. This is especially important given that, according to the hospital rules, the presence of one of the parents or of a close relative (grandmother / grandfather, sister / brother, aunt / uncle) as a caregiver of the hospitalized child is mandatory. Under such conditions, the caregiver must possess the knowledge and skills of caring for the child in chemotherapy treatments, without having additional specialized training on the matter.
Therefore, it is very important to make sure that the adult caring for a child suffering from cancer is well-informed and trained to become a true advocate of their child, to fight for the protection of their rights, to seek medical help in case the condition worsens, to know how to support the child.
Families in need
The situation is much more complicated when talking about socially vulnerable families. It is well-known that the Republic of Moldova is the poorest state in Europe, and a considerable part of its citizens have such low incomes that they live at the limit of their existence. It is these families who need the most help when their children are in serious medical condition. The lack of money sometimes leads to the abandonment of treatment, and this situation is fatal for children - in the absence of treatment, cancer inevitably results in death.
In order to support this category of families, within the Association, we have approved the Regulation on support measures by the Public Association "Life Without Leukemia" to the families of children with onco-hematological diseases, hospitalized in the Pediatric Hematology Unit of the Oncological Institute (Minutes 2/2019 of June 9, 2019), which sets out the procedure of granting aid through the Association programs.
In 2019, through this social support programs for the families of children with onco-hematological diseases, hospitalized in the Pediatric Hematology Unit of the Oncological Institute, we provided assistance for 19 families (financial aid, hygiene items, clothing, etc.).
