Children's Stories
Meet 10-year old Yasmin. After several of months of feeling unwell, Yasmin’s parents took her to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU) in Bangladesh. It was here, that the doctors diagnosed Yasmin with cancer in her leg. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread extensively and a cure was no longer possible. Whilst at hospital, Yasmin was experiencing a lot of pain, so was prescribed morphine.
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Dr Megan Doherty (pictured above with Yasmin) cared for her in her final few weeks. “Instead of dying in hospital, afraid and anxious, Yasmin was able to go home surrounded by those who loved her the most”. 
Initially, Yasmin’s father was concerned that Yasmin would become addicted. However, the Palliative Care team at BSMMU explained to him that morphine is a safe form of pain relief. Yasmin was monitored closely for several days, until her parents requested for her to be allowed to come home, and to spend her final weeks close to her family.
Unfortunately, many doctors and nurses in Bangladesh have a lack of understanding of the importance of palliative care for children with cancer, and other life-limiting conditions.
Yasmin's Story
Shohana's Story
Shohana is an 8 year old girl with leukemia. She has been sick with fevers for several weeks, when she comes to the hospital (BSMMU) to see the cancer specialists. She is admitted to start chemotherapy treatment. Because the cancer has infiltrated her bone marrow, she has very severe pains in her arms and legs.
This pain causes her to cry at night and she is not able to sleep well. At first the doctors prescribe her paracetamol but this does almost nothing to help her pain, because of how severe it is. Shohana’s mother and father are very upset because their daughter is crying and having terrible pain, but the doctor is fearful of prescribing morphine for Shohana because he has never been trained in how to use morphine and he wrongly believes that it will cause her to become a drug addict.
The World Health Organization has guidelines which state the morphine is safe and effective for children with moderate or severe pain, but many doctors in Bangladesh are unaware of these guidelines. There is an urgent need for doctors in Bangladesh who treat children with cancer to receive proper training on the proper treatment for pain in children. Without this training, children in Bangladesh will continue to receive only paracetamol for their pain, leading to needless suffering for them and their families.