Child cancer survivor shines as a beacon of hope

SEPTEMBER is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Although childhood cancer is relatively rare, diagnostic rates have been increasing.

According to the health department, it is estimated that currently less than half of children with cancer in South Africa are diagnosed. Many of those who are diagnosed are in an advanced stage of the illness. One of the reasons for this is a lack of awareness and knowledge in parts of the health system regarding the early warning signs of childhood cancer.

In an exclusive interview with the SUN, mother and son, Tamsyn and Camden Keseell shared their experience.

In October 2014 Camden, at the age of five, started displaying concerning symptoms of fever, loss of appetite and abnormal swelling on his abdomen. At first, Tamsyn and her late husband thought it would pass. However, after a family friend insisted that their child wasn’t well, they finally took him to the hospital. An x-ray done determined that there was nothing severely wrong with Camden and that he only had kwashiorkor.

“I found it odd that they would say he had an illness which is caused by malnutrition when my child ate fairly well. We were advised to give him a high protein diet which we did. However, after two weeks I noticed that the child was getting worse. We took him back to the hospital for further tests and it was concluded that he has a problem with his liver,” said the Merewent-based mother of three.

After a challenging back and forth between public and private hospitals and unanswered questions, Camden was eventually transferred and examined at iNkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital where he was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumour. It is also known as nephroblastoma, which is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children.

“I felt like the ground would just open up and swallow me whole. It’s something you don’t want to hear of your five-year-old child. What followed was a long and strenuous journey,” recalled Tamsyn.

Camden had to undergo four sessions of chemotherapy to help shrink the tumour before he could have surgery. He had his surgery in January 2015 where one kidney was removed. He recovered well and was soon discharged from the hospital.

“We thought we were passed the worst but when we went back for the test results for the tumour, it was revealed that Camden had stage three cancer which had travelled to his nymph node. Fortunately, it wasn’t aggressive but he did need to have abdominal and spinal radiation as well as six more months of chemotherapy. This was a preventive measure in case there were still any cancerous cells in his body. During that time he got very sick. The radiation burnt his skin. He lost a lot of weight, he was vomiting and he couldn’t eat, had mouth ulcers, suffered from fatigue and lost his hair. I felt very bad for my child and did everything I could to help him as a mother. Camden used to shock me because no matter how sick he was, he always remained positive. He would even give me hope on my difficult and doubtful days. He spoke his healing into existence and that kept me going.”

The young champ was declared cancer-free in September 2015 and he had his last routine check-up last year. “I was so relieved. I remember screaming in the ward and thanking all the doctors and nurses for their support,” said Tamsyn.

The dedicated mom continues to monitor her son but today Camden is a healthy 11-year-old boy and apart from not playing any contact sports, he lives a full and fun life. His remaining left kidney is fully functional and in good shape. He goes to Gardenia Primary School and is a bright Grade 6 learner. He hopes to be a pilot when he grows up.

Tamsyn is a proud supporter of childhood cancer initiatives is grateful for the support she received from dedicated medical staff as well as the Childhood Cancer Foundation SA (CHOC) who assisted with a place to stay, food, toiletries and emotional support.

“As a mother, I was on my knees 24/7 but I couldn’t have met better people on this tough journey. Usually, when a person is diagnosed with cancer you automatically think of the worst. I’m guilty of that when I first heard of my son’s diagnosis. But you have to have faith and believe in God. It was a hell of an ordeal but through sharing Camden’s story, we only seek to inspire hope to those who are at the beginning of their journey.”