Saving Lives from Cancer
BY EMMA GÓMEZ / TRANSLATED BY EMMA PORTER
In Guatemala, suffering from a chronic illness is like living a nightmare because the state does not guarantee the right to access healthcare, let alone quality healthcare. In the country, there have been cases of corruption and convictions because businesspeople and politicians have made deals with the health of thousands of Guatemalans. Apparently, this is a big business for pharmaceutical companies and drugstores.
Corruption, poverty, and other ills primarily affect the most vulnerable populations: women and children. The World Health Organization (WHO) creates campaigns to raise awareness so that governments take action to ensure comprehensive health for all. These actions are based on statistics that report high mortality rates.
One of the highest-priority sectors is children, with February 15th being International Childhood Cancer Day. According to the WHO, cancer is one of the leading causes of death among children and adolescents worldwide; each year, approximately 280,000 children aged 0 to 19 are diagnosed with cancer. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that at least 30,000 girls, boys, and adolescents under 19 will be affected by cancer annually. Of these, nearly 10,000 will die as a result of this disease.
In high-income countries, more than 80% of children affected by cancer are cured, but in many low- and middle-income countries, the cure rate is only at about 20%. The impact of childhood cancer translates into years of lost life, greater inequalities, and economic difficulties. This can and must change. According to the WHO, it is projected that by 2030, a cancer survival rate of at least 60% could be achieved.
Local Action
In the region, there are organizations that work to counter the distress of thousands of families with children who have cancer. Among them is the Ayúdame a Vivir Foundation (AYUVI), which provides comprehensive treatment at no cost to children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer in Guatemala.
Around 500 new cases arrive at the foundation each year. In 2023 alone, thirty-nine cases were from Quetzaltenango. The cost of treatment for one of the patients is estimated at 500,000 quetzal in the best of situations. However, AYUVI meets all the needs of the children, and the patient pays absolutely nothing from the first day to the last within the project explained communicator Claudia Mazariegos.
AYUVI handles an estimated 30 cases from the southwest region: Retalhuleu, Mazatenango, San Marcos, and Coatepeque. The department of Huehuetenango has the highest number of cases, reporting 42.
Mazariegos invites people to join the “Saving Lives of Children with Cancer” project, which has been dedicated for 27 years to developing activities to help thousands of cancer-surviving families.
Vulnerable Populations
Between January 1, 2014, and May 27, 2024, 28,569 cases of cancer were detected in Guatemala. The least affected group is children aged 0 to 12 months, followed by those aged 5 to 9 years. In contrast, the groups with the highest detection rates are those aged 40 to 44 and those 70 or older, as written by Carmen Valle in the digital outlet Ojo con mi pisto.
Valle cited Kevin Martínez-Folgar, an epidemiologist specializing in prevention, who explained that while no specific risk is associated with the age of diagnosis, there are some correlations.
For example, in developing countries, it is more common to find older people with cancer or other diseases than children. Children, if they suffer from malnutrition, are more likely to die in their early years of life, and therefore do not develop cancer. Poverty conditions can also be associated. “In Guatemala, not everyone has access to a doctor, and perhaps more people suffer from this, but cannot be diagnosed.
Adults, because they are productive, tend to have more income to visit the doctor compared to minors.” (quote without name)
On this international day, awareness is raised to care for and protect our children.
