By Oscar Barbaste | Journalist
We continued raising funds to organize the Holiday dinner for 300 children with cancer.
Chile is a geographically very diverse and long country; its length is 4300 kilometers (almost 2700 miles). In this territory, about 1000 children are receiving active cancer treatments per year. The attention is centralized; 80% of them are attended in the capital, Santiago.
José, four years old, is an example of the public health system's structure to deliver treatment. He arrived this month with his mother at our foster home from Dalcahue, a small rural community on the Chiloé island, more than 1000 kilometers (636 miles) from Santiago.
José has lymphoblastic leukemia and was initially treated at the Hospital Base in Valdivia, the closest medical center to serve the population of children diagnosed with cancer in the southern part of Chile. Valdivia is more than 360 km away (228 miles) from Jose's home.
Together with Rosa (mother), José had to go to the capital city because bone marrow transplantation is only performed in Santiago. His father and his sister stayed in Chiloé Island.
Today José and Rosa are very happy because the transplant was a success. Despite this, the treatment continues, and both will have to spend Christmas's time in Santiago, far from their home, their family and their community.
Each of your donations helps us prepare a beautiful and loving Holiday Dinner party for José and Rosa and many other 300 children who will live this special time separated from their loved ones.
Thank you very much for every donation.
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