KATHMANDU: For the past five months, Radha Bista of Mahakali Municipality, Darchula, has been staying at Kanti Children’s Hospital, hoping for a miracle.
Her nine-year-old daughter, Itisa Mahara, is undergoing treatment for blood cancer — a diagnosis that came as a devastating blow to a mother who has already lost three of her children.
Itisa, the second of four children, is lively and curious. Despite her condition, she spends her days interacting with nurses and playing with other children in the hospital. Radha says she was the only light that helped her endure the grief of losing her other children.
When Itisa began complaining of leg pain and developed a high fever, Radha thought it was due to overexertion from playing.
But as her condition worsened, they sought medical help. Initial examinations in Darchula revealed nothing. Only after arriving at Kanti Children’s Hospital was the heart-wrenching diagnosis confirmed — Itisa had blood cancer.
“She’s my only hope now,” said Radha, tearfully recalling the moment she pleaded with doctors to save her daughter. Since then, Itisa has undergone three rounds of chemotherapy and three bone marrow extractions.
Although she now shows signs of improvement — playing and even running again — her health is still fragile. Sudden fevers, sometimes spiking to 105°F, often land her back in the hospital.
“Doctors keep reassuring me that she will recover. I try to stay strong, but when another child dies in the hospital and I’m alone at night, I’m filled with fear,” Radha shared.
An organization has helped by providing food and accommodation outside the hospital, but Radha spends most nights by her daughter’s bedside. “I don’t care how much the treatment costs. I just want her to get better,” she said.
Radha’s story is just one of many at Kanti Children’s Hospital.
Nirmala BK, from Hetauda, has been at the hospital for six days with her two-year-old daughter, recently diagnosed with blood cancer.
“She used to get fevers now and then, but we thought it was normal,” said Nirmala. “When her hands and feet swelled, we rushed her to Kathmandu. The doctors said it was cancer.”
At first, Nirmala and her husband considered forgoing treatment due to financial constraints. “My husband works in a furniture shop, and we live off farming. We didn’t think we could afford it,” she said. But doctors encouraged them to start treatment, saying it was curable if caught early.
Though the government offers free treatment for certain services, the family has spent nearly Rs 300,000 in just six days. “Apart from bed charges and some medicines, everything else — from chemo to basic fluids — we have to buy ourselves,” she said.
Meena Pradhan, from Khotang, has also been at Kanti for two months with her five-year-old son, Ramon, also battling blood cancer. After developing high fever, sore throat, and joint pain, Ramon was taken from Khotang to Kathmandu.
Several visits to clinics and even the Trauma Center yielded no answers — until a final test at Kanti confirmed the cancer diagnosis.
“We are now in the middle of treatment. He’s completed two rounds of chemo and had four bone marrow extractions. He still complains of headaches,” said Meena, her voice weary. Doctors remain hopeful, but the emotional toll is immense.
Meena estimates that the family has already spent around Rs 500,000 in two months. “The government says treatment is free, but that’s not the case,” she said.
“We’ve had to pay for nearly everything — chemo drugs, saline, bone marrow procedures. We’ve only received Rs 100,000 from the government and another Rs 100,000 from insurance.”
She added with frustration, “When we ask for help, relatives say the government is covering it. But we’re paying for almost everything ourselves.”
Like Radha, Meena, and Nirmala, countless mothers at Kanti Children’s Hospital are holding on to hope. Some children battle leukemia; others are suffering from retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer.
Their mothers, overwhelmed by helplessness, can do nothing but beg the doctors to save their children’s lives — and wait.
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