Romeo’s chemotherapy treatment and surgery, Orissa, India

Funding Request: $3,142.56 CAD 

Critical Need: CNIOM0824 

Romeo’s chemotherapy treatment and surgery, Orissa, India

Romeo lives with his parents, Ashuli and Kaziini, and his two younger sisters near our Orissa site in northern India. His parents work on other families’ farms, but they do not have land of their own. His sisters, Rakuzhiiro and Adaziini, are both studying with the great help of a Chalice sponsor. In summer 2023, Romeo started to have pain in his stomach. Thinking it was a normal stomachache, no-one thought much of it. But as the pain intensified, they took Romeo to the hospital to get it looked at. 

This began months of appointments at multiple hospitals, trying to get answers. After several tries, at last a CT scan offered a diagnosis: Romeo had a tumour in his large intestine. He needed immediate surgery. 

They awaited the biopsy. Through it, Romeo was diagnosed with colon cancer. His doctors discharged him, and he began outpatient chemotherapy treatment, which will continue to September 2024. 

After this round, he will go for more scans and the oncologists will assess his progress and future needs. If he has still not improved, he may go for radiotherapy. 

But each cost, such as each blood test, ultrasound, X-ray, and medicine, is an out-of-pocket expense for Romeo’s family, which has accumulated to $3,142.56 CAD. They cannot afford Romeo’s continued treatment, having exhausted their resources to this point. 

The Orissa site staff have therefore put forward a request on the family’s behalf. 

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Please note that any donations that exceed the request will be used to fund other critical need emergencies that may arise.