The second largest country of Africa, full of paradoxes. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, copper, coltan, crude oil, diamonds, gold); on the other hand, its inhabitants are among the poorest in the world. For decades, the DRC has been suffering from prolonged conflicts that have led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
14.06.2024
“It’s difficult. I think Dawid is losing the strength to fight the disease. This will probably be a sad post. I want to show people that not only miracles happen here, that there are also difficult times of standing by a child we fought for and we’re beginning to lose,” says Sister Agnieszka from the hospital in Congo.
All human stories are ultimately about love. About how much love one received, to whom it was given, and at what stage in life it was lacking. And even if a person falls into the biggest life troubles, it is the amount of love they have around them that defines their situation.
Dawid has mobilized our entire hospital. We have been sharing his story here for months.
August 2023: Dawid arrives at the hospital in Ntamugenga, and we immediately know something is wrong with his eye. The tumor is growing very quickly. He needs to be transported to Rwanda immediately. We manage to make the journey to Goma, which has been a frontline between the rebellion and the Congolese army for months. We set off when the shooting stops for a moment.
September 2023: Doctors at the Rwandan oncology clinic operate on Dawid. Sister Agnieszka pleads with the doctors in Butaro to share the chemotherapy protocol. She immediately passes it on to our oncologist—the only one in the entire North Kivu province! He consults with a Belgian specialist and starts the treatment right away.
November 2023: Dawid is not well. The tumor grows back faster than we can act. Another trip to Rwanda during a lull in the fighting between the rebels and the army. Another surgery.
Today.
We fear the worst. Dawid is struggling with the disease. The medication, chemotherapy, and radiation are not effective. We pray for a miracle and pour all the love and care he needs onto him. We fulfill his wishes and dreams, hoping that each new one won’t be his last. We do everything to ensure he does not suffer.
Help us! Send some of your love. Let’s be there for Dawid. Let’s fulfill his small dreams . Let’s show him how many of us are here and give him some comfort with our warm words.
11.09.2024
Little Fabien needs urgent help! Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis sounds mysterious, although it’s estimated that this anatomical defect occurs in as many as 8 in 1,000 children. For Fabien, born in the heart of the Congolese bush, this diagnosis could mean a slow death from starvation and dehydration. His mother was at a loss—her son […]
21.08.2024
A woman who loses her husband is called a widow. A child who loses their parents becomes an orphan. We have words for so many things, but there is no word for a parent who loses a child. Perhaps it’s because such a reversal of the natural order is beyond what our hearts, let alone […]
28.06.2024
When I was leaving for tests with other patients, I asked the physiotherapist to bring Dawid some juice – maybe he will wake up from this coma, maybe he will be thirsty? The news of Dawid’s passing reached Sister Agnieszka the same day. She had fought for him for many months, providing him with treatment […]