Storybook by Young Cancer Patients Unveiled

A book containing stories written by children suffering from cancer was unveiled late last week.

Titled “The Tales of Mahak’s Children”, the stories and pictures in the book are written and drawn by children hospitalized in Mahak, a charity hospital belonging to the Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer.

“The book was prepared with help from experienced publishers,” Behnaz Asangari, head of support services at Mahak, was quoted by IRNA as saying.

She said a book trolley goes around the hospital every night, containing a variety of books which kids read before bed.

“The books help them pass the time and also motivates them,” Asangari said, adding that a similar scheme is doing children’s wards in a few other hospitals in Tehran.

Mahak, a non-governmental organization dedicated to helping children, was established in 1991 by Saideh Ghods.

The society is funded entirely by donations and has supported 11,505 children suffering from cancer in the past 17 years. The 18,000sq. m rehab center and hospital in the north of Tehran was completed in 2003 and is equipped to accommodate up to 120 children, each with a family member. The rehab center has diagnostic and treatment wards on par with global standards.

In the 7th Société Generale de Surveillance (NGO) Benchmarking Certification Audit in 2016, Mahak was ranked 4th globally.

Mahak has obtained a score of 5.95, securing the 4th place globally in the 7th NGO Benchmarking Certification Audit. The Geneva-based SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.