The journey from experiencing the first symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to finding an effective treatment can be long, difficult, and painful, especially in low- and middle-income countries. That was the case for Chamu from Harare, Zimbabwe. It took him more than a year to get a diagnosis, but he kept fighting and is now on medication that helps him manage his symptoms and get his strength back.
He first started feeling unwell in 2016, coughing continuously on his way home from an exhibition at a local university. Over the next year, Chamu’s cough got worse and sometimes he would lose strength and collapse. He had many diagnostic tests done over this period – chest X-rays, blood tests, an endoscopy, an ultrasound, a lung function test, and a painful biopsy. He received a variety of treatments that were either not effective or only helped with his symptoms briefly.
After seeing a hematologist, Chamu was prescribed very expensive medications. They seemed to work well for a while. Then, in November 2017, Chamu went to the hospital because he was feeling weak. As he was climbing the stairs to his room, he collapsed and woke up in a hospital bed. He stayed there for a week to receive treatment. Then, he was admitted again in December.
“My situation got worse, and I requested to be discharged from the hospital so that I go to Harare, as I had heard that there was a new drug,” Chamu said. “I went to Harare in a critical state.”
After starting Imatinib (Glivec) for CML, his coughing went away in just a week. He also started to gain back the roughly 60 pounds he lost. The Max Foundation and its partners provide access to support, care, and medication like Glivec in 77 low- and middle-income countries, including Zimbabwe.
“If it were not for the medication that I get from The Max Foundation, I might have been history by now,” Chamu said. “I greatly appreciate the assistance they are providing, especially given the economic situation in our country.”
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 27 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
For World Cancer Day, GlobalWA interviewed Max CEO Pat Garcia-Gonzalez to hear about the many lessons she has learned in this work, and how both cancer treatment and patients’ access to treatment globally has changed.
Un Paso Max, meaning “Un Paso Mas” (One More Step) is a fitting name for a group led by cancer survivors who are willing to take an extra step to help others. Un Paso Max is the name of the CML and GIST patient association in the Dominican Republic. One can trace the origins of this group to a small meeting in 2008. It only took a bit of encouragement and support on the part of The Max Foundation to unlock the passion of a handful of courageous survivors in Santo Domingo, and the seed of a patient association was planted.
Bunthan Kahn was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 2017. He’s a tour guide, a husband, a young father, and an avid learner. From traveling far to meet with specialized physicians, to seeking treatment in his country, his journey toward finding hope took perseverance.
