Until six months ago, Ms Tracy Akao a four year old girl was a healthy child in her village of Palenga Bar in Bobi sub-county in Omoro County Gulu district; when she started showing signs of infection to the eye.

Her mother Irene Akello 25 told Acholi Times that her daughter appeared to have a white dot on her right eyeball which looked like a cataract, even though she didn’t have any pain. 

 

“We did not know how it started but it gradually spread covering the whole eyeball, which eventually had to be operated on after it was established that it was cancer” Albert Ocaya the father who also spoke this reporter said.

 

He further added that ever since Akoa’s eyeball operation to prevent the disease affecting the other eye, the operated eye is declining to heal.

 

Mr Ocaya said they have almost sold everything in their possession including property to try and cure their daughter and appealed for financial assistance to enable them get treatment in Mulago Hospital.

 

As tears rolled down his face, Ocaya who sat holding his jaw said that his daughter will likely die if no urgent solution is found.

 

“We have given her all sorts of anti-biotic treatments but her condition is worsening and we are worried she may die, we are now begging for assistance from any kind hearted person or well wisher,” he pleaded.

 

He said when they went to St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor; Doctors told them that the hospital had no cancer department to treat her.

 

When contacted, Dr Hamilton Odong of St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor said they could not help much since Lacor has no machine to treat Retinoblastoma.

 

“We only have cancer treatment for lymphoma for children but that is advanced level which requires radiotherapy and we lack it,” he said.

 

The Ophthalmologist with Gulu Referral Hospital Dr Ben Watmon said that the diagnosis shows eye reflex and leucocoria.

 

“This disease may not cure easily because the parents delayed to bring the child for treatment early, it needs radiotherapy which might slightly help,” Watmon said on phone.

 

He urged for an early treatment of any kind of sickness. Retinoblastoma is a severe cancer whose cause is not clearly known to medical personnel.