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Yere: Shocking cancer diagnosis

On June 3rd, 2020 Yere (pronounced like: ' year '), one of our Omo's Morningstar children, received shocking news after taking a...

June 16, 2020

Daily life in OMC's children home: Part I

 
Every day OMC offers it's children a scheduled program to learn and play, to discover and eat, to sing and dance, to do tasks like laundry and preparing coffee. Most importantly, they learn to grow up in a multi-cultural setting, several South Omo tribes mixed together (i.e., Hamer, Dassanech, Arbore, Kara), in an attempt to teach a peaceful interaction with their neighbors.
           


UPDATE 06-25-2020: Coffee Time
Most of you have it easy to get a coffee - just a ride to Starbucks, that's it. Or do you have a coffee machine, plugged into an electric outlet - pushing some buttons to get the coffee, or even program it to have the coffee ready when you wake up in the morning?
Here in Ethiopia, with limited electricity, things are a bit different - a lengthy procedure:
Step 1: Go to a market and buy coffee beans
Step 2: Roast it on a charcoal stove
Step 3: Grind it  (manual coffee grinder or coffee rammer)
Step 4: Brew it
Step 5: Enjoy it

        

UPDATE 06-26-2020: Garden Project
We have finished (for now) our gardening project - a way to learn how different vegetables grow from a tiny seed into (hopefully) an ingredient of our future meals. Watering and observing the little plants sprouting are exciting daily activities.

The first sprouts
Getting garden #2 ready
    
Sowing beans
Working on garden #1
  



June 15, 2020

Yere: Shocking cancer diagnosis




On June 3rd, 2020 Yere (pronounced like: 'year'), one of our Omo's Morningstar children, received shocking news after taking an X-ray to determine why she feels pain in her leg: Osteosarcoma, bone cancer was the diagnosis.

Yere is a 11 year old Ethiopian girl and needs your help.
I started a GoFundMe fundraiser to get donation for Yere's medical expenses. We did already several blood tests, X-rays, a biopsy, an evaluation by a surgeon, and received a referral to a specialist in Addis Ababa. There we will discuss if chemotherapy is required (very likely before and after surgery) and if amputation can be avoided (very unlikely).
Please pray for Yere and help her to pay the medical expenses in the hope that she can keep her leg, or at least her life!


UPDATE June, 15 2020: A miracle?
After another few days in the hospital we received the good news that no visible metastasis are detectable in Yere's lung, the cancer has not spread yet (let's wait for the CT/MRT results). This is a miracle considering that Yere has pain in her leg and is limping since more than a year.

Yere's lung X-ray: no visible metastasis

UPDATE June, 20 2020: Yere is in pain
Yere had to go to the hospital for few days to do some additional tests (more X-rays, blood tests, another biopsy, ...). Pain killer didn't work for her, no Tramadol or even Morphine. She was suffering for almost 24 hours. In 2 to 3 weeks we will know what type of tumor she has in her leg.
Please pray for Yere.

Yere is in pain
Exhausted after medical procedures
 
  
Biopsy sample
After biopsy














UPDATE June, 26 2020
My car is almost ready to get picked up after a 2 week repair in Jinka (engine troubles). Now finally I can visit Yere's parents and discuss with them about their daughter's medical conditions (bone cancer).
I fear they will refuse to send Yere to Addis Ababa for further medical treatment, including chemotherapy and most likely below-the-knee amputation - that would be the death sentence for Yere.


UPDATE July, 25 2020 Biopsy result confirms: osteosarcoma
After weeks of waiting the biopsy result finally was revealed. The diagnosis is as expected: osteosarcoma, bone cancer.
My car is still not fixed preventing me to visit Yere's family to get permission for her medical treatment in Addis Ababa.

UPDATE August, 13 2020 The waiting continues 
I am still waiting for my car being repaired - the never ending story. 
Yere went back home to her family last week. Now I am waiting for her parent’s written approval that Yere can go to Addis Ababa to receive medical treatment to fight her bone cancer. 
Her leg doesn't look very good.

    


UPDATE September, 09 2020 Things develop badly
After a four week school break visit Yere returned from her parents' home to OMC's Turmi children home. What a shock, the biopsy site was very swollen, obviously the cancer started to grow aggressively. Yere's mother came for a quick visit to confirm that all medical treatments needed would be OK as long as they would save her daughter. I bluntly told her that an amputation would be very likely, but that this wouldn't necessarily result in defeating the cancer. 
Unfortunately, my car - even though finally returned from its 2,5 months repair journey - is not in any condition to drive Yere to Addis Abeba. Flights to Addis are also only going rarely (due to Coronavirus restrictions) or being cancelled in the last minute and an ID card is required for Yere to fly, which is difficult to obtain without a birth certificate. 
More reason for the never endling delay of reaching Addis Abeba's hospital to provide proper treatment for Yere's bone cancer can be found here!





UPDATE October, 01 2020 Amputation
On 09-27-2020 we finally arrived in Addis Abeba, via a flight from Jinka. What an adventure for Yere, for the first time sitting in an airplane and being pushed in a wheelchair at the airports.
But what a disappointment – hospitals are in an obsolete state, patients piling up everywhere, dirt (blood, pee, vomit) everywhere, cockroaches crawling around and supplies are never available (and need to be purchased at different pharmacies).
We went through three hospitals during the first day and almost switched again the next day when once again nobody took care of Yere (no wound cleaning, no dressing change, and no updates). Nevertheless, suddenly three blood transfusions were started (very bad Hb values: 7.6) and amputation scheduled for the next night. 
The first question Yere asked after waking up after surgery today was, ‘where is my leg?’. It was a heartbreaking day and it will take time for Yere to learn that it was the best we could do to stop the further spread of her bone cancer. A CT-scan will reveal if the cancer has spread into other organs and based on that a chemotherapy might be started. A long way to go to potentially defeat her cancer. 

My first flight ever ...
Waking up after amputation

 
Waiting for treatment in the hospital
More waiting in the hospital
Exhausting: 3 hospitals today
Waiting at the airport for a taxi


Yere's cancer is growing quickly


UPDATE October, 8 2020 CT-Scan: metastasis!
Today Yere finally had her appointment for a CT-Scan. Unfortunately, as almost expected after having more than one year issues with bone cancer in her leg, she has several tumors in her lung (the X-ray gave us hope, but is simply not sensitive enough).
So, officially she has now stage IV bone cancer, which is the final stage.

CT-scan

CT-scan











  
Lung metastasis (8 o'clock)
   
Lung metastasis (7 o'clock)











UPDATE October, 12 2020 Two days of fun
Before chemotherapy started on October 13th I wanted to give Yere two days of fun and smiles. I think I succeeded.

Gifts and clothes:

My new jacket
   
My first teddy bear
 
My new dress #1
My new dress #2
   


Zoo visit (lion park and unity park):

Addis Ababa's Unity park
Close encounter with an antelope
   
Yere enjoys the flowers
Close encounter with an ostrich
Mirror wall

White lions
Throne room of prior monarchs














UPDATE October, 15 2020 Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy started on October 13th. After spending 10 days in hospitals (blood transfusions, X-rays, amputation, wound healing, etc.) we spent another 4 days for chemotherapy treatment.
It came with all you can imagine (i.e., pain, vomiting, etc.). Terrible. Now Yere has three weeks off before another round of chemotherapy will start again.

Chemotherapy medicine #1
Chemotherapy medicine #2





Turmi's Primary School

UPDATE October, 22 2020 First school day

Yere is registered at Turmi’s Primary School. She is very proud going into 5th grade. 
Unfortunately, Turmi’s streets are not good enough for her wheelchair (is there an all-wheel drive version?), so I have to drive her daily to school by car. 


Proud to be a student
Amharic exam: 6 out of 6, yay!
English exam: 2 mistakes :-)






UPDATE October, 25 2020 Visiting family

Yere visited her family for the first time after leg amputation and chemotherapy. Very emotional, many tears, but also happiness. The mother didn’t expect to see her daughter again. 
The father prayed and blessed us. 
Yere's father blessed us for our help
Yere's mother and father listen carefully
to our report


Yere's sister says hello

Many people from Yere's village came to say hello



UPDATE October, 30 2020 Losing hair

Despite the physician's claim that Yere will not lose her hair, it started to happen today, bummer!

Yere doesn't like to lose her hair
Yere's hair

A beautiful girl even without hair

Frozen's 'Elsa' hair is great



UPDATE November, 8 2020 Chemotherapy #2 and shocking prognosis

Once again we are in the Black Lion Cancer Treatment Center in Addis Ababa. But instead of starting chemotherapy #2 I was summoned to one of the oncologists. He informed me that it makes sense to give up on Yere, to send her home with only supportive care - to let her peacefully die. His prognosis was a maximum of 6 months life expectancy. 

I was not ready for that. I couldn’t believe that he wanted to give up on her after only one chemotherapy without even doing another CT scan to check on Yere’s lung tumors. 
Anyways, after sitting in the waiting area for a long time, not being able to hold back my tears, the oncologist must have changed his mind (thank God, see below). He was willing to try another chemotherapy and a subsequent CT scan result should decide what treatment options are appropriate. 

To my surprise (communication is not a really a strength of this or any other hospital I spent time in) this round of chemotherapy required 7 days hospital stay, destroying any and all of my travel plans back to Turmi’s Children Home. 

Anyways, Yere went through the procedures bravely and even the nausea wasn’t as bad as the first time. 


Thank you AB and TS for sponsoring 
a blanket, toys, hat, and clothes


Yere, suffering through chemotherapy

Some of the medicine and medical equipment
I have to buy daily for Yere’s treatment

Constantly I get different kinds of medicine
to fight my bone cancer and lung metastasis
 


As it is quite common for our flights (3 out of 4 were changed) our flight back was postponed by a day. Yere wasn’t happy about that. Once we arrived in Jinka my car repair hadn’t been done (despite being in the repair place for 10 days). So we had to stay another night and finally arrived the next day in our Children Home where we had a great welcome. 

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Wow, that’s a big plane

Our favorite moment:
back to our Children Home in Turmi


UPDATE November, 24 2020 A miracle - no more lung tumors (metastasis)

Once again we are in Addis Ababa for Yere’s cancer evaluation and treatment. Blood tests, an abdominal ultrasound, and a CT scan should reveal what treatment options are suitable for Yere’s bone cancer. 

Based on my experience during our last trip and the oncologist’s recommendation to stop her cancer treatment and ‘simply’ let Yere die, I was prepared for the worst.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t believe when I saw the CT scan pictures and the radiologist’s assessment: all cancer nodules visible in Yere’s last CT scan (6 weeks ago) disappeared. No more visible metastasis in Yere’s lung. A miracle!!! Praise the Lord!

It was decided to continue with chemotherapy to ensure that all cancer cells in Yere’s body will be destroyed. 

CT scan result:
no more visible metastasis in Yere’s lung

Ultrasound result: everything is OK!

Yere is excited when she heard the news:
no visible tumors in her lung!


UPDATE December, 4 2020: Yere ends up in a Health Center due to malnourishment

10 days post 3rd chemotherapy Yere was still not able to eat anything - just the thought or smell of food triggered vomiting. I had no choice and brought her to Turmi's Health Center for IV fluids/glucose. She also needs treatment for all kind of infections, parasites, etc. Obviously, Yere's immune system is weakened by the chemotherapy and allows all kinds of diseases attacking her. 

I hope Yere will recover quickly - next week another trip to Addis is planned for her 4th chemotherapy and for the purchase of her leg prothesis (and subsequent physiotherapy to teach her to walk again). 

It looks like glucose and peanut paste gave Yere enough energy to teach our bible story today:

Yere is teaching about the lost sheep

UPDATE December, 16 2020: Back in Addis Ababa: Chemotherapy #4 and leg prosthesis/physiotherapy

Yere recovered nicely, her blood values were stable for another round of chemotherapy. So we checked in for our 7 day stay at the Black Lion Cancer Treatment Center in Addis Ababa.

We also picked up crutches at Addis Guzo (thank you so much helping this girl from the Dassanech tribe to learn walking again), a Swiss NGO located in Addis.


Yere‘s first steps on crutches

Meat for lunch to make Yere strong!

At the Prosthetics Orthotics Centre I purchased a leg prosthesis for Yere (it was as easy as picking up a bar of soap in the supermarket). After taking measurements the artificial leg was ready for fitting the next day.

Measuring Yere‘s leg for making her prosthesis

Preparing Yere‘s artificial leg

Putting on the first time Yere‘s new leg

Yere‘s first steps on her artificial leg

Yere‘s reward for doing a good job walking


Now, Yere goes through chemotherapy in the morning and physiotherapy (to learn walking) in the afternoon  - a demanding program.


Special donations for Yere 
(medical expenses to treat her bone cancer )
Image result for gofundme
GoFundMe campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/f/yere-needs-her-leg)
If you want to help to cover some of the medical expenses for Yere's cancer treatment please use any of the donation options below, including our GoFundMe campaign: 

DONATE



Thank you - God bless you!







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