Cancer kids

One of the saddest sights is a very young child struggling with cancer. One hospital is trying to make it easier for parents to help.

Promporn ‘‘Nong Woonsen’’ Kongpetchand her mum Saifon sleep on a bed donated to the Queen Sirikit National Insitute of Child Health.

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For cancer kids, a mother's love is the best medicine

Apiradee Treerutkuarkul

Unlike most children, who thrive at home under the care of family and friends, 12-month-old Chanidapa Kemthong – or Nong Bam – has to spend most of her time in hospital

Just three months after she was born, she was diagnosed with chest cancer.

Her parents were taking turns ferrying their daughter back and forth between a hospital in their home province of Ubon Ratchathani, but she was recently transferred to Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health in Bangkok to receive treatment.

"It hurts badly seeing my baby cry, with needle marks in her neck and having to depend on saline drips," said Nong Bam's mother, Nopporn Choonate.

"But we know she needs our support to get her through this difficult time.

"We just hope and pray that she will soon recover and spend time at home with us like other kids."

Nong Bam still faces several months on a chemotherapy programme, and if this does not destroy her tumour, she will then have to undergo surgery and radiotherapy.

Promporn Kongpetch, or Nong Woonsen, is another child being treated at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health's cancer centre.

Nong Woonsen was hospitalised 15 days ago suffering from Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare disease involving abnormal cells from bone marrow migrating from skin to lymph nodes.

The cancer-like symptoms caused rashes on most of her head and the 20-month-old girl had a high fever most of the time.

"Her grandparents want me to give up as they don't want to see Nong Woonsen going through chemotherapy at hospital," said her mother, Saifon Kongpetch.

"But as a mother, I can't let her go. I have to do the best for my child."

As state hospitals tend to be overcrowded, parents often find it difficult to stay with their children. Most squeeze into small, disused patient beds and sleep next to their children's beds.

The hospital has therefore launched the "Hug From Mother" campaign asking the public to donate beds big enough to allow a parent to sleep alongside their child.

"Despite the need to go through medical treatment, parental support and hugs from mothers and fathers are still crucial for young patients if they are to survive cancer," said Dr Somjai Kanchanapongkul, a paediatrician specialising in cancer.

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donate – to give something such as money or goods to an organisation, especially to a charity, school, hospital, political party, etc. บริจาค
cancer – a serious disease in which growths of cells, also called cancers, form in the body and kill normal body  cells. The disease often causes death มะเร็ง
thrive – to become, and continue to be, successful, strong, healthy, etc. เจริญ,เติบโต,ก้าวหน้า
diagnose – to find out what physical or mental problem someone has by examining them วินิจฉัย,ตรวจโรค
chest – the upper front part of the body of humans and some animals, between the stomach and the neck, containing the heart and lungs หน้าอก
take turns – (of a number of people) to do the same thing one after the other สลับกัน
ferry – to carry people or goods in a boat or other vehicle from one place to another, often for a short distance and as a regular service
transfer – to move someone or something from one place, vehicle, person or group to another ย้าย
treatment – the process of providing medical care การรักษา
needle – a very thin, pointed piece of steel used on the end of a syringe for putting a drug into somebody's body, or for taking blood out of it เข็ม(ฉีดยา)
saline (solution) – a liquid containing salt น้ำเกลือ
drip – a piece of equipment or the process that passes liquid food, medicine or blood very slowly through a tube into a patient's vein การหยดยาเข้าหลอดเลือด
recover – to become healthy and fit again after an illness or injury การฟื้นไข้
chemotherapy – the treatment of disease, especially cancer, with the use of chemical substances เคมีบำบัด
tumour – a mass of cells in your body that grow in a way that is not normal  เนื้องอก
undergo – to experience something which is unpleasant or which involves a change ประสบ (เหตุการณ์ในด้านลบ)
surgery – medical treatment in which a doctor cuts open someone’s body การทำศัลยกรรม
radiotherapy – treatment through the use of radiation การรักษาโรคด้วยรังสี
hospitalise – to send somebody to a hospital for treatment ให้อยู่โรงพยาบาล
suffer (from) – to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of something, etc  เป็นโรค, ประสบความทุกข์
rare –  uncommon, unusual ซึ่งหายาก
abnormal – not usual or typical ผิดปกติ ไม่ธรรมดา
marrow – a soft substance that fills the hollow parts of bones ไขกระดูก
migrate – to move from one place to another อพยพ ย้าย
lymph – a clear liquid containing white blood cells that helps to clean the tissues of the body and helps to prevent infections from spreading น้ำเหลือง
lymph node – one of the small round parts of the lymphatic system that stores lymphocytes and helps fight infection ปุ่มน้ำเหลือง
symptom – a sign that someone has an illness อาการ
rash – an area of red spots that appear on your skin when you are ill or have a bad reaction to something that you have eaten or touched  ผื่นคัน
fever – an abnormally high body temperature ไข้
overcrowded – with too many people or things in it  ซึ่งแออัดยัดเยียด
squeeze into – to succeed in getting someone or something into a small space or object, often by pushing or forcing เบียดเข้าไป,  อัดเข้าไป
disused - no longer in use โดยเลิกใช้
launch – to start something เปิดโครงการ, เริ่มต้น, เริ่มทำ
hug –to put your arms round someone กอด
campaign – a planned series of actions การรณรงค์
parental – connected with a parent or parents เกี่ยวกับพ่อหรือแม่
crucial – extremely important because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
patient – someone who is receiving medical treatment คนป่วย, คนไข้
survive – to continue to live มีชีวิตรอด
paediatrician – a doctor who has special training in medical care for children กุมารแพทย์, หมอเด็ก, แพทย์รักษาโรคเด็ก
specialise – to concentrate on a particular subject or active มีความชำนาญเป็นพิเศษ