Update on Rachida

I’m sorry to say that this update isn’t as upbeat as the last one about Rachida. In the last update I said that there was hope with the doctor in the other country. He said he’d do more chemo and some laser treatment, and added that he’d have her seeing in 6 months. Well, now a month has gone by, he’s done the chemo and started the laser treatment, and he now told Rachida’s grandma (who’s the one with her right now) that he thinks they should stop the treatment and remove both her eyes. This means that the doctor there doesn’t see any hope anymore. I wonder what he does see in all these tests and treatments?

Rachida’s grandma still doesn’t like that idea, so has gone to see a different doctor to get yet another opinion. That doctor has offered some other kind of treatment that she’s planning on trying for a few weeks to see how it goes. But I believe that the first doctor (who’s the one above who said she now needs surgery) is the one who is connected to doctors in Europe and likely has the better training. I don’t know anything about this new doctor.

The other new development isn’t directly related to Rachida, but is related to my more sobered view of the situation. If you’ve been following Rachida’s story, you’ll know that there was an American missionary doctor who was involved in getting some of Rachida’s test results to the US to see what the doctor there would say. Anyway, this American missionary doctor had also been helping a little boy with retinoblastoma, who had had his eyes removed probably about a year ago. Things were looking good and she was helping the family plan for his future, then all of a sudden, a few weeks ago, he took a turn for the worse. The cancer had spread before his eyes were removed, had now come back with a vengeance, and ended up taking his life the night before Thanksgiving. It’s a reminder that even if things look good now, without a miracle this cancer can either spread or come back and continue to wreak havoc in the life of this sweet little 2-year-old and her family.

On a brighter side, Rachida now has a new baby brother! He’s adorable and was born big and strong. But it’s not like Rachida’s gotten to be with him yet, since she’s off in another country for treatment. And only if God intervenes miraculously will she ever be able to see his smile and his soft, curly hair.