A mother in Kenya has shared her experience of caring for her adopted son, Shadrack, while both were undergoing cancer treatment.
After being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2012 and told she would never have a child, she adopted Shadrack at age nine. They shared a cancer journey for three years, during which his diagnosis changed from sarcoma to Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She paused her own treatment to focus on his care.
She describes a lack of honest communication early on and not understanding palliative care at first. She later accessed information through ICPCN and joined a support group, eventually forming her own.
Shadrack was cared for in a hospital where parents were not allowed to stay. When she later went to visit him, he was not there. She says she does not know what happened and was unable to say goodbye.
Now in remission, she continues to share what she has learned about palliative care in Shadrack’s name.
Read her the full story here.
You can also read our book, Heart Strings, here, or download your copy here.