By Harriette Onyalla

A year ago, Abdu Ssematimba was lying on what would soon perhaps become his deathbed at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Mulago Hospital. He was just 20, but his life was coming to an end.
He had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, a type of cancer. The disease, also called Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, attacks the lymph vessels and nodes, the spleen and bone marrow.

Dr. Miriam Laker of the Cancer Institute says the lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system which helps to fight disease and to produce blood.
The majority of patients can be cured. But Ssematimba, like thousands of cancer patients in Uganda could not afford the medication.

Laker says apart from the high cost of medication, most patients report to the institute when their condition is already advanced.

Then there is the time lost as patients undergo tests to help with the diagnosis. This could take days, weeks or even months depending on whether the patient can afford the fees for the various tests.
Ssematimba says he first noticed a swelling on his neck in 2002. The swelling was not painful so he dragged his feet about going to hospital until it became a source of unwarranted attention.

Later, he began to feel weak and tired with any slight effort. Then he lost appetite and weight as his stomach also began to swell.

Ssematimba’s condition grew worse by the day. His chest felt tight and ached. In the daytime, he was plagued with weakness while at night sleep eluded him. He would sweat so much that his bed sheets had to be changed. His skin grew rough and itched severely.

In 2005, Ssematimba was referred from Jinja Hospital to the Cancer Institute. But it was only in 2006 that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. It was another year before he could start treatment and all this time, he went to bed knowing it could be his last day.

“I was prescribed four types of medicine which all cost sh500,000 for one course. My mother knew I was going to die because even if we managed to raise money for one dose, we could not get enough for all 12 doses,” he says.

His mother, Nnalongo Zauja Namusisi spent her days at the hospital trying to get as much information as possible about her son’s condition. Some of the other patients suggested that her son had leukemia which, they said, had no cure.

But when Namusisi’s friends came to visit, they brought with them some hope: They were going to fundraise for the medication.

However, even after the whole village contributed stacks of coins and a bit of paper money, some chickens and a goat, they only raised sh132,000.

“Everything was expensive; we had to buy even drinking water and mom had to spend carefully. But I never got tired of people visiting me even though I was always tired. It was good to know that people cared,” Ssematimba says.

Among the people who visited him was a man he calls Brother Jimmy, who founded the Charity Cancer Foundation.
“I thought he was coming to pray with me. After establishing my problem, Brother Jimmy said he was going to speak to some friends he was sure would pay for my medication. It was difficult to believe news like that because I did not want to raise my hopes, but I became so excited. The knowledge that I might actually live made me happy he says”

“One day, Jimmy brought a friend, Kenneth Kiiza whom he said was going to pay for my treatment. I was so happy. It was a miracle. My mother had been praying but had lost hope. I think she was battling with whether to take me back home while I was still alive or transport a dead body.”

As a child, Ssematimba always wanted to become a businessman.

“I know that with proper planning and hardwork, I can achieve my dreams. If God can touch the hearts of people like my sponsor to help people like me, he can help me succeed. Kiiza paid for all my medical expenses which amounted to over sh6m,” he says.

Symptoms of Hodgkin’s disease