When Mayyaa Assaad met a girl with cancer, the encounter changed her life — and the lives of other children with cancer in Syria. Mayyaa was motivated to find a way to offer more compassionate care. She learned about the work of St. Jude and visited hospitals in other countries near Syria. Mayyaa eventually co-founded the first nonprofit organization dedicated to pediatric cancer in Syria. It’s called BASMA, which means “smile” in Arabic.

BASMA began by supporting families in treatment and raising awareness about pediatric cancer in Syria. The foundation had plans to open a specialized care center for cancer treatment. Then, the Syrian civil war began.

Through years of armed conflict, BASMA staff members kept helping their patients, even as fundraising became more difficult. Rima Salem, the executive manager of BASMA, says they have an obligation to their patients. “We have to continue because we cannot stop treatment. I’m sure that we are making a difference. We are raising the survival rate,” she says.

This podcast was recorded before Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime fell on December 8, 2024, following 14 years of civil war and conflict.

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. 

When a child gets cancer in Pakistan, their treatment options are sometimes determined by their family’s income level. But families of all income groups can find treatment at Indus Hospital and Health Network, which operates the largest pediatric oncology services unit in Pakistan.

Afifa Batool is the head of marketing and communications at Indus. She says there are certain cultural challenges that cut across income levels. People may make judgments about patients that last long after treatment concludes. Indus works to address these cultural challenges in addition to treating patients medically.

Afifa says the work of Indus is made easier by collaborating with other hospitals and foundations outside of Pakistan through the St. Jude Global Alliance.

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.

When Mae Dolendo was learning to be a doctor in the Philippines, she thought childhood cancer wasn’t curable. Most of her patients with cancer died. She knew she had to change the status quo. Decades later, her tireless work has saved thousands of pediatric cancer patients and helped raise the survival rate throughout the country.

Cancer has always been a personal issue to Dr. Dolendo. When she was a teenager, her mother died of breast cancer. Her family lost everything, including their home.

Now Dr. Dolendo leads the Children’s Cancer Institute at Southern Philippines Medical Center. She also opened the House of Hope right next door. It’s a place for patients and their families to stay and includes a school for the patients. And she acts as a mentor to other pediatric oncologists around the country, consulting on difficult cases over the internet.

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.

In Chile, pediatric cancer survival rates are high. But patients often travel far to find treatment available in just a few cities. A nonprofit organization called Fundación Nuestros Hijos provides places for patients and families to stay during treatment, schools in hospitals and mental health services.

Alejandra Mendez is a board member of the foundation. She knows how pediatric cancer affects an entire family. Her son was a pediatric cancer patient. He’s now a thriving adult.

Fundación Nuestros Hijos also provides services to patients who travel to Chile from other Latin American countries. Alejandra says she wants every pediatric cancer patient in her part of the world to have the same treatment options her son had.

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.

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.