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RMHC Curaçao Childhood Cancer Fund

Every year, about 5 to 6 children in Curaçao are told that they have cancer. For them and their parents, the world collapses at such a moment. Fortunately, the care is well organized, with the best medicines and treatments, like in the Netherlands. However, the children are first sent to the Netherlands to receive the start of treatment in Europe’s largest childhood cancer hospital, the Princess Máxima Center.
The children usually stay in the Netherlands for six months, but often longer. When the children are stable enough, chemotherapy can be continued in Curaçao. This often takes another 1.5 years. Fortunately, in most children the cancer does not come back after treatment.
RMHC Curaçao has opened its first core program April 1st 2010 in the Sint Elisabeth Hospital. Since day 1 it became obvious that families of children that receive a cancer diagnosis needed extra support. The need to set up a special fund to cover additional support needs and keep these families close to each other became a top priority.

The RMHC Curaçao Childhood Cancer Fund is part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao Local Program: The Medical Treatment Abroad Program

The fund will be utilized to achieve two goals:

Celebrate life

Childhood cancer treatment is not about the risk of death. Despite the heavy treatment, the chance of getting better is fortunately high. But for that a child with cancer has to receive a lot of medicines, operations or radiation. 


The other part of the proceeds goes to wishes for children who fall outside the regular treatment. The goal is to carry on, to stimulate perseverance, in order to ultimately get a better outcome after chemotherapy. At regular moments during the treatment on Curaçao, life will be celebrated (“celebrate life”), which includes small incentives (e.g. a beaded necklace) during annoying procedures or at milestones, and of course a big gift at the end of the long treatment, by which hopefully a great wish of the child comes true.

Family support

Life is not only turned upside down for the sick child at the time of diagnosis. The parents will also have to be there for him or her. But what will happen to their jobs? With the siblings? The house?

One of the parents will be reimbursed for a plane ticket to come along. But who pays for the other parent? And if the siblings come along? Sometimes housing in the Netherlands is insufficient or too far from the hospital. Sometimes help is needed with (winter) clothing, insurance, school, etc.
The fund will be used to support the family around the child with cancer. Because without the loving support of his family, a sick child in a foreign country will not get better.

You can support our childhood cancer fund by banktransfer to:

Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao Foundation
Sambil Shopping Center Curacao, Veeris 27, Willemstad Curaçao
MCB bank account #31551209

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