After over a dozen cycles of chemotherapy, the condition of cancer patient Shaniece Nanhoe, 15, is still deteriorating but her mother is refusing to give up hope.
Nanhoe, 15, of Canal Number 2, West Bank Demerara, was diagnosed last year June and since then has been undergoing treatment.
A cancerous facial tumour has worsened to such an extent that the tumour is now coming out of her mouth and even the skin on her face seems to be coming off. The girl’s face is swollen and while she doesn’t complain, her mother said that it pains her to see her suffer in such a way.
Nanhoe receives five to six injections of morphine per day.
An emotional Esherdai Jailall, Nanhoe’s mother, told Sunday Stabroek during a telephone interview that this is the second Christmas that has found her daughter sick but her condition is worsening so rapidly that her doctors have warned that she might pass away at any time.
Jailall explained that the initial sign of Nanhoe’s illness was seen in one of her eyes and the family thought it was due to a cold. But then the teen’s eye started to look a bit strange. Still unsuspecting, the family ignored it up until the left side of teen’s jaw became swollen.
Jailall said that she took Nanhoe to the dentist, who thought she had an infection but after time passed and they saw no improvement the family took her to see an eye specialist. The eye specialist then suggested that a CT scan be performed and following this procedure, it was revealed that there was a tumour growing in the teen’s head.
Nanhoe has undergone 17 to 18 cycles of chemotherapy since being diagnosed, her mother disclosed. She further detailed that since the start of the diagnosis, Nanhoe’s tumour has grown rapidly and this leaves very little hope for the teen ever recovering. She said that the doctors have warned that even a bit more chemotherapy could drain the teen and rather than becoming better she would lose her life.
But the mother says she refuses to accept that her daughter will never recover. She said she is aware that her daughter’s condition continues to worsen and every day she wonders which hour or minute will be the last but as a mother who loves her child, she cannot give up. The woman said that the Rotary Club donated a wheelchair for the girl to move about but because she is so feeble she couldn’t use it.
“It looks like a no, no, but I believe in God,” Jailall said when asked whether there is any hope for a recovery. She added that it saddens her that her daughter has had such an experience at such a young age and sometimes she doesn’t know how to talk to her because she seems confused about what’s happening.
She explained that from her understanding, her daughter’s life was changed one day and there is no explanation as to how or why. She added that her family hasn’t experienced cancer and that the family never expected such a thing to happen.
Since Nanhoe became sick, Jailall had her two other daughters sent to live with their father. She said that it has been very difficult having her family split apart but she knew she wouldn’t be able to look after the two girls and an unwell one at the same time. Jailall said that she hasn’t seen her children in over a year. Additionally, Nanhoe has been asking to see her father but due to expenses it is not in their budget for him to fly from Jamaica, where he resides, the woman said.
She said that her two daughters have hope that their sister will recover and since they aren’t with her to see how sick she is, they don’t know the seriousness of the condition.
Jailall said that since Nanhoe’s diagnosis, the family has spent a lot of money trying to get the best medical treatment but nothing has resulted in significant improvement.
She had hoped to take the teen abroad for treatment but due to the coronavirus pandemic, they couldn’t do so. While trying to get the treatment, the family has found that the bills are piling up and the thousands of dollars that need to be paid cannot be covered by the family alone, Jailall said. Hence she is pleading for any support that can be provided. She said that prayers and words of encouragement are graciously accepted as well.
Persons who want to donate to the family’s saving account for Nanhoe’s treatment and expenses can contact Jailall on cellphone number (592) 692-4045. She will further direct persons on how to make transfers to the GBTI savings account.
