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Update: Fundraiser for Marcelo

Update: Fundraiser for Marcelo

26. Dezember 2011 at 01:03

In September, we asked you to support us in supporting 13 year old Marcelo Choco. Marcelo had been diagnosed with brain cancer, the cancer had been removed but Marcelo was left in a situation where he and his parents didn’t know if the cancer had been completely eradicated. We collected donations to pay for the MRI that was necessary.

Marcelo last week

We’re happy to report that we did pay for the MRI and that the cancer is gone! With your help we were able to cover the entire MRI as well as support Marcelo and his father Miguel while they were staying in Belize City for the MRI and other tests with a total donation of close to $2500.

At the same time, not everything went smooth unfortunately. (Obviously, since it took us more than 3 months to be able to report back to you). We did put Miguel in contact with a very good organization here in Belize who help children in need by giving them access to the health system. International Hospital for Children (http://www.theihc.org/). Most importantly, the lady running this organization here in Belize has a health background and basically works as a kind of project manager in the name of the child and the families. From our perspective, this program should have solved Marcelo’s problems. For some reason, his family chose not to participate in the program but instead went to a Guatemalan witch doctor. Who actually helped.

Choco Family

Talk about intercultural challenges while trying to help.

In the end, we’re happy to report that your help achieved what we set out to achieve: to find out for Marcelo if there is cancer left or not. There is none.

Marcelo Operation Scar

Here’s a letter from our friend Rob who put us in contact with Marcelo and Miguel:

Marcelo had his MRI brain scan thanks to the contributions of Holger and Kerstin and their family and friends. The summary results of the scan can be found below. They indicate that there were no signs of any recurrence of growth of the tumor that although “benign” was still life-threatening because of its size and location in the brain. The doctors in Belize had recommended further chemotherapy in Dangriga to insure against any further growth.

He had previously undergone surgery twice and it seems that during the second surgery a nerve was cut that subsequently induced strokes accompanied by persistent vomiting and fevers. He had also lost the use of his right arm and at one point was unable to hold or lift a spoon. This use is now returning to him and he can use the arm to eat and is also beginning to be able to write again.

Rather than begin the chemotherapy in Dangriga Miguel and his wife Florentina took Marcel across the border to Guatemala where they placed him in the care of a woman called Ruth who appears to be a hybrid between a bush doctor and traditional doctor since she also works in Guatemalan hospitals. He stayed there for six weeks in all. After six or seven days the herbal treatment that she was using brought down the fever and the vomiting also stopped. The full cost of this treatment that is still to paid in installments was US$2,765.00

They returned to Belize about two weeks ago and are now back in contact with the Belizean health service and it is planned that the recommended chemotherapy will still go ahead.

We’d like to thank you once again for your help!

Kerstin & Holger.

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About the author

Holger is a management consultant turned volunteer. He loves to take pictures, run around in the sun, dive and he has never met a beer in his life he didn't like.

Update: Fundraiser for Marcelo

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