Akua Sarpong knows what’s at stake when a child is diagnosed with cancer in Ghana. Her daughter was diagnosed when she was a toddler. She did not survive.

Now Akua leads Lifeline for Childhood Cancer. The organization raises money to help families pay for treatment and operates a housing facility for families in need who can’t afford hotels or frequent travel during treatment.

Akua says the mothers she works with sometimes blame themselves. They wonder if they did something to cause it. So she pays special attention to the emotional wellbeing of mothers. She says when the mother is happy, the child is happy — and that helps with treatment overall.

Credits
Host: Suheir Rasul
Recorded by: Jason Latshaw
Producer: Geoffrey Redick
Editors: Grace Korzekwa Evans and Evelyn Skoda

This podcast is a production of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.