– The Economist, March 2014
With five-year survival as low as 30%, Burkitt’s Lymphoma (BL) is also the most fatal in this region. This aggressive and disfiguring faciospinal tumor doubles in size overnight accentuating the need to seek and receive early treatment. However, in many African settings, care-seeking for childhood cancers is low due to inadequate community awareness of cancer warning signs and the perception that cancer is an inevitable death sentence.
Even when BL patients and their families seek help, they are met with barriers uncommon in developed countries. BLFA’s programs help them overcome these barriers, including:
BLFA is committed to reducing the barriers for children with cancer and their families. Through financial support, medical expertise, diagnostic equipment, and collaborative resource-sharing, the BLFA works with partners in East Africa that specifically address these important needs to complete successful treatment.