Alberton Record
Stepping Stone Hospice supports childhood cancer
With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services advocates for awareness, research, and support against childhood cancer.
Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services, under the leadership of CEO Tersia Burger, expresses solidarity with children and families affected by cancer.
She also reaffirmed the hospice’s commitment to providing high-quality, specialist care to people whose condition no longer responds to curative treatment, from diagnosis to death.
She said they aim to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of their patients and to ensure their families are supported both through and after this difficult time.
“Child cancer is highly curable with survival rates of around 80% in developed countries, yet in low- and middle-income countries tens of thousands of children die needlessly every year from the disease – most dying without any effective pain relief.
“Poor diagnosis coupled with too few specially trained doctors and nurses and the mistaken belief that child cancer is too difficult to cure combine to create very low survival rates,” according to the South African Government.
In raising awareness, the organization got together with Netcare Alberton Hospital’s pediatric oncologist, Dr. Tanya Krakowitzer, who stressed the importance of childhood cancer awareness.
“If your child has a wet spot in the eye and a change in his vision, please go to the doctor urgently. If your child has big lumps in the abdomen, pelvis, neck, or head area, or anywhere that’s persistent or getting bigger, that’s something to get checked out.
“If your child has an ongoing fever, unexplained weight loss, or unexplained fatigue, seek medical help. If your child has bone aches, especially a pain that wakes a child up at night, that’s something to report on,” she said.
Krakowitzer said if your child loses his balance and falls more than usual, parents should consult with a doctor immediately.
