‘Ah she calm me’

How does a father handle the impact of having his only daughter, who’s just six years old, being ravaged by cancer?

For Rohan Clarke, of Norwood in Montego Bay, St James, the last 17 months since the child was diagnosed with leukaemia have been stressful for himself, his daughter, Kiara, and her mother, Shanique Jones.

But, in a surprising admission, Clarke revealed to The Gleaner on Saturday, that Kiara’s illness has had a positive impact on his attitude and outlook on life.

Asked how they were taking their child’s illness, Clarke got emotional during his response.

“Yuh want me to be honest? Mi ah di darkest man yu can talk to right now; very, very, very angry! Ah mi first daughter… ah supp’m mi nuh like talk ‘bout… .”

His voice faded as he turned away, tears welling up in his eyes.

But he is hopeful for a full recovery of his daughter.

“Of course, man! I’m very hopeful. The almighty God bless har. Yuh nuh haffi talk to Kiara fi know how blessed Kiara is; yuh nuh haffi know Kiara fi know the power wha she carry. A she keep me calm.”

Leading up to the early part of 2023, Kiara continually complained of pain in various areas of her body, which eventually prompted Clarke to take her to the doctor.

However, the proper diagnosis never came right away. Assumptions were made that maybe she fell while at school and that could have caused the pain.

“She start feeling pain wha we couldn’t explain. It start across her left shoulder, down into her arms. Dem when a say probably a drop she drop a school or supp’m like that but mi do likkle mix martial arts so mi know wha it like when yu drop, yu see swelling, bruising and all a dat, and mi nu see no swelling, no bruising. Suh mi say dis nuh normal.”

Over a period of time he took her to do several blood tests but the real cause wasn’t revealed. However, the suggestion came up that she might be suffering from anaemia.

“At first they said she was anaemic but mi show dem say if she anaemic she wouldn’t be feeling the pain. And then the pain was moving; this week it’s here and it stop, it go pon the right side then it stop, har foot then it stop.

“If mi never push certain way fi get the blood test dem done, we wouldn’t find out say she have leukaemia as yet. Mi carry har to a private lab mek dem test har fi leukaemia, not anaemia.”

That test confirmed that Kiara had leukaemia.

Spends most of her time in hospital

Leukaemia is described as, “a type of cancer found in the blood and bone marrow and is caused by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells, which are not able to fight infection, and impair the ability of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells and platelets”.

Since then, Kiara has not been to school, as she spends most of her time admitted to the Cornwall Regional Hospital. Every three months or so she is sent home to spend a week with her parents then re-admitted to the ward.

Clarke says his daughter is “doing okay” from his perspective and is positive that the goal of long-term remission will be reached.

“Honestly, from wha me can see, she is doing okay. When it come on to information wise, mi nuh really get much of that. But everybody a deal wid har good so far, everything nice.”

He explained: “It get ketch at an early stage and the treatment a go well. The last time I talk with Dr Dunn, her (Kiara’s) organs were okay; she a do good. So differently from the hair loss and losing weight, nothing hasn’t happened that’s so serious.”

Last weekend, Kiara was one of 12 cancer-stricken children who, along with their parents and siblings, benefited from Moon Palace Jamaica’s free Dream Weekend programme, which has been in place since 2016.

Clarke was very appreciative of the support from the hotel, saying: “Oh God, trust mi man, dis was needed. Dis was needed, mi naw lie. Mi appreciate it, mi really appreciate it because di road nuh easy, it nuh easy, mi naw lie. Di road nuh easy and then, fi a dweet by yuh self dat a di hard part because a just me and har mother alone. We just basically have fi try we best fi do everything by we self.”

The programme observes September as Child Cancer Awareness Month and, for the third consecutive year, Moon Palace Foundation Jamaica, which oversees the programme, has collaborated with the Lions Club of Mona and Dr Michelle Reece Mills, the oncologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies, to ensure the children have a good time.

“The families that are selected are usually families who would not normally be in a position to afford a hotel and Moon Palace is a 4-Star, 5-Diamond hotel and so we think this is an experience for the children and that is all that matters. Also, the parents get an opportunity to relax. We do it for the love of helping others,” explained Natalie Boreland, general manager of Moon Palace Foundation.

Boreland added: “We also do a scholarship programme so as part of the programme the students who participate do volunteer hours on weekends like these, they come down and act like a chaperone for the children. They act as play makers for the kids just ensure that they have a good time. We have four that are doing tertiary education and then we have another six in high school doing their community volunteer service.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com

POSSIBLE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CANCER IN CHILDREN

There are some signs and symptoms to look for when trying to determine if your child has cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) website these include:

-An unusual lump or swelling

-Unexplained paleness and loss of energy

-Easy bruising or bleeding

-An ongoing pain in one area of the body

-Limping

-Unexplained fever or illness that doesn’t go away

-Frequent headaches, often with vomiting

-Sudden eye or vision changes

-Sudden unexplained weight loss

According to the ACS, which is one of the several partners of the Jamaica Cancer Society: “Most of these symptoms are much more likely to be caused by something other than cancer, such as an injury or infection. Still, if your child has any of these symptoms, see a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.”