Help Avi Get Life-Saving Cancer Treatment

A few months back, we received a message from family in Ethiopia that my husband's niece, Avi, who is only 18 months old, was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma. This was devastating news, so we did the only thing we knew to do at the time—prayed.

I started a new job shortly after receiving this news and was struggling with thinking I made a mistake moving back to the hospital environment so soon after having our second daughter, after working from home for so many years. On Friday of my first week there, I cried my way to work. That afternoon, one of the doctors on my team asked me to take a walk with her to visit a patient. As we were walking, we ran into Dr. Aziza Shad, who introduced herself as the Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. She then went on to explain that she was preparing to go to Ethiopia in a couple of weeks on behalf of the organization she founded called The Aslan Project. I didn’t know it at the time, but this organization specifically works with children in Ethiopia (and other African countries) who have the same type of cancer that Avi has—a cancer that is curable when found early and properly treated. I told her about Avi (as much as I knew and understood, which wasn’t much at the time), and she asked me to email her.

With one email, Dr. Shad connected me to the Chief of Pediatric Oncology and Senior Oncologists at Black Lion Hospital in Addis, which happened to be the very doctors treating Avi and the very hospital she was being treated at. Come to find out, Dr. Shad had trained and mentored these providers and spoke very highly of them. She communicated with them and ended up visiting Avi while she was in Ethiopia a few weeks later (cover photo for this page).

Once Dr. Shad returned, we connected, and she explained that after a 4th round of chemo, Avi needs surgical and transplant interventions, which cannot be done in Ethiopia. We were told that delaying this next step may significantly compromise Avi’s prognosis.

Dr. Shad recommended either the US, India, or South Africa. Though we would love for them to come to the US where there is plenty of family to support them through the process, it seems that due to the cost and state of immigration affairs, the process of getting here may take too long. Dr. Shad recommended the Pediatric Oncology team in Johannesburg and reached out directly to the Head of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Dr. Jennifer Geel. She is in the process of obtaining a letter of acceptance from her hospital so we can obtain the visas necessary for Avi and family to go to Johannesburg for the remainder of Avi’s treatment.

Though obtaining treatment in SA will be much less expensive than in the US, it is still going to be costly. We do not have the exact numbers just yet, but Dr. Geel says it will be anywhere from $50,000-$100,000 for the entire treatment—start to finish.

I know nothing is a coincidence and that God has not orchestrated all of this for it to then fall apart because of finances. He loves Avi so much that He brought all of these pieces and people together in this season. I know He will continue to provide, and maybe that will be through others who feel led to contribute toward Avi’s treatment. Would you consider and pray about partnering with us to see Avi come through this?