A Princess’s Wish – Chesca
One morning as I was checking my email, a photo of a little girl arrived in my email. She had a sparkle in her eye and the confidence and poise of a princess. But she had one striking feature that made me ask,
What is wrong with her arm?
Her arm was the size of a cantaloupe.
She replied…
Cancer
Her name is Chesca and was 5 years old. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
Ewing sarcoma is the second most common type of bone cancer in children, but it is very rare. About 200 children and young adults are found to have Ewing sarcoma each year in the United States.
-
About half of all Ewing sarcoma tumors occur in children and young adults between ages 10 and 20.
-
This type of cancer is rarely found in African-Americans and Asian-Americans.
-
It affects slightly more boys than girls.
-
It does not appear to be inherited (passed down in families). (www.stjude.org/ewing-sarcoma)
In the United States, Chesca would get treatment. But she lived in the Philippines where hospitals will not treat her if she could not pay for treatment.
If no one helped her pay her medical bills, she would die.
We had never had a child with cancer in our program at Maya’s Hope. I did not know what to expect or how to handle it. I saw a child who was suffering simply because her parents couldn’t afford treatment. As she met our criteria for sponsorship, we eagerly admitted her into our program. Maya’s Hope became the sole financial sponsor for her medical treatment in the Philippines.
Chesca faced a few obstacles in the beginning:
-
she could not walk
-
the hospital was 3 hours each way
-
her arm was so heavy that she often had to lie down
With absolute determination, Chesca focused on being a princess.
She made one wish: to wear her princess dress again.
To face this battle, she went through 6 painful cycles of chemotherapy.
She lost her appetite. She lost her temper. She lost her hair. But she never lost hope.
Wearing her princess dress got her through her treatments. She was surrounded by her princess dolls and had her princess pillow. She also felt like a princess when she made videos to her supporters.
Sometimes she was too sick to make videos to share her journey, but when she was better, she smiled, sang songs, and showed the world that she had the courage of a princess.
After three months, her tumor had reduced to the point she could walk again. She was determined to wear her princess dress.
With her birthday coming up on Christmas day, Maya’s Hope sent two special Barbies from New York to her home in Pampanga, Philippines.
She celebrated her 6th birthday with two special Barbies and finally wore her princess dress.
Chesca is still battling cancer but her arm has reduced to its smallest since August 2014. Chesca maintains a positive attitude and makes videos for Maya’s Hope to thank everyone for helping her.
When doctors said Chesca had a 5% chance, Maya’s Hope believed Chesca had a fighting chance. Chesca has proven that wishes can come true if you wish for it with all your heart.
Chesca will still need ongoing medical treatment. If you like to help Chesca, please go to www.mayashope.org/donate.
Thank you to all of Chesca’s supporters
