Leukemia is the most common cancer in children. Nearly 3 to 4 children in the country among every 100,000 suffer from the blood disease, said Dr. Azim Mehrvar, head of Mahak charity hospital, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a pediatric palliative care unit at the hospital.
“If diagnosed in the early stages of the disease, 90% of the children can be treated,” ISNA quoted him as saying.
“Cancer is painful,” he said, explaining that on average, 35-50% of cancer patients experience pains in the early stages of the disease and about 96% have pain in the later stages.
The new ward has 14 rooms, 10 for inpatient care and four for those undergoing surgery. They are well-equipped with injection pumps and other gadgets to control pain syndromes, he said, adding that “there are rooms also for light therapy, aromatherapy and music therapy in the ward.”
Mahak Society to Support Children with Cancer is an NGO in Tehran dedicated to helping Iranian children with cancer. It runs an 18,000 sq m hospital in north Tehran.
It was founded in 1991 by Saideh Ghods after her child was afflicted with cancer and she witnessed the pain and suffering at close range. Ghods pledged that she would set up a center that would act as a sanctuary for children and their families in a similar situation.
Mahak is funded entirely by donations and has supported almost 11,500 children since its establishment.
