When most 12-year-old girls goes to school, dream of a bright future and play with friends, it is not the case for Elena Maijo.
The girl, who lives in a remote area in Sabah, used to be able to run freely with her friends but not anymore. Now, she spends most of her days lying and writhing in pain.
You see, she is suffering from Femur Osteosarcoma which is cancer in her knee and even worse is that her family could not afford to pay for treatment for her at the hospital. Not even some painkillers to ease her condition.
She was diagnosed in April this year and she spent 20 days at the hospital but her family had to bring her home when they ran out of money, a substantial amount to cover the cost of surgery, medicine, chemotherapy and more.
She had to endure the pain that strikes her frequently, so painful that she could pass out, but the same cruel pain also wakes her from her sleep.
During our mission trip recently, my friends and I stumbled upon Elena's family house in an outlying place called Manisulang in Sabah two hours into our trekking on foot which started from Magandai. We were having a light chat with her father, Maijo bin Piok, during our break when we noticed Elena.
She had the most agonising look in her face and she was shivering, biting her lips to try to swallow the excruciating pain but the tears on her face showed that it was no ordinary suffering.
We asked what happened to her and the father-of-three said Elena was having a fever and her knee "is not well". We then got permission to go nearer to Elena to hold her hands and to say a few words of encouragement.
Her hands were so cold we knew instantly it was not just any sickness. We had to see her knee.
We lifted the sarong and what unveiled in front of our sight broke our hearts. It definitely did not look like fever to us!
When we asked the man further on Elena's condition, tears started to well in his eyes and his wrinkled face read of helplessness. He then showed us her diagnosis report from the hospital.
As the breadwinner of a family of five, he grows vegetables and goes hunting. Sometimes, he gets paid RM50 a week from a logging company by helping to cut some wood in the forest.
The house is a very long way from the hospital in Kota Kinabalu. Manisulang is a two-hour trek on foot from Magandai, which is three hours off-road on wheels from the nearest town called Goshen while it is two hours away from Kota Kinabalu. You can do your own calculation, mine comes up to seven (7) hours!
We knew then we have to help Elena and we promised Maijo we would try to raise fund for her.
They need money for her treatment, transportation as well as cost of living in the city while Elena is admitted.
Her condition is a call for action.
Please help to save this little girl so she can live to her full potential. She needs our support and please help spread the word.