Breanna Fosua Addai, an eight-year-old cancer survivor has commended the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo for the role she and her Foundation are playing to combat childhood cancer.

Miss Addai who had the opportunity to represent children with cancer in Ghana expressed gratitude to the First Lady and GHAPACC for the love and care demonstrated to them during the commissioning of an ultra-modern 54-bed hostel for children with cancer at Korle-Bu in Accra on Wednesday.

She said “Indeed, you are a mother to all children of Ghana. But we claim you as our very own special mother. Mother to all children with cancer. You always look out for us stepping in to help in whichever way you can.

“A few years ago, you saw a need. The need for a place to care for very ill children. You built us the Rebecca Akufo-Addo PICU. I am a beneficiary myself. Having been admitted twice at PICU. Thank you for many lives saved.”

Little Addai, whose dream is to become a lawyer and an ambassador for children with cancer, pleaded to the First Lady to incorporate the treatment of cancer in children onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to reduce the financial burden for treatment on their parents.

“We are forever grateful. The children and parents of the Paediatric Oncology Unit say “Thank you. We are pleading that very soon our dream for our treatment to be on the NHIS will come true,” she added.

Young Addai is a student of Dison International School grade 4 and was one of the beneficiaries of the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Paediatric Intensive Unit (PICU) built at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in 2017.

Studies indicate that cancers occur in children, however many can be cured if detected early and the appropriate treatment given.

In Ghana, one in every 500 children by the age of 15 years may develop cancer.

This means that about 1000 children in a year may develop cancer in Ghana.

Currently, less than half of this number presents to the two treatment centers in Accra and Kumasi annually.

This is because of many factors including lack of awareness and poor access to care.

Those that finally come to the treatment centers in Ghana are mostly present with advanced disease making treatment outcomes poor.