By Julie Badui Owa – EMTV News, Lae
21-year old breast cancer patient, Ruth Kaupa, and her family are fundraising to help her travel overseas for urgent radiotherapy treatment. Ruth a second-year student at the Divine Word University, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, where it has now progressed into its third stage.
Radiotherapy treatment is the final treatment that will help the 21-year-old live. She has already undergone surgery and is currently on chemotherapy. The only machine for the treatment at Angau Hospital in Lae has been in need of maintenance and repair, since 2016.
21-year-old Ruth Kaupa who is currently fighting stage-3 breast cancer is currently at home in Lae, Morobe Province with her family. She was supposed to do her 2nd year of Social Studies and Religion at Divine Ward University.
Kaupa had undergone surgery and got her left breast removed. Her family thought this was the cure and Ruth would be well again. But unfortunately, the fight for Ruth’s breast cancer treatment has only just begun.
Towards the end of last year, Ruth developed a lump in her left breast.
She thought it was not serious and continued her 1st-year studies at Divine Word University and returned home to Lae.
Her parents then took her to see the Doctors at the cancer unit at Angau. The Doctors suspected cancer, and got her body tissues and sent them to Brisbane in Australia for testing. The result was emailed to Ruth’s father after three weeks.
Yesterday, Ruth went for her 4th cycle of chemotherapy treatment. It helps stop the cancer cells from spreading. Her final treatment now in order for her to live is Radiotherapy. However, the cobalt-60-teletherapy machine has been in need of maintenance and repair since 2016.
Miss Kaupa was informed of the inability to perform radiotherapy here in her own country. Ruth wants to go back to school and complete her studies at the University. Her fight for treatment is a race against time to help her parents raise funds to receive radiotherapy treatment overseas.
So far, they have raised twenty-four thousand kina (K24, 000). Their target is to reach over one hundred thousand kina by August.
If you wish to contribute towards Ruth’s appeal, deposits can be made to this bank details below.
Account Name: Bogel Kaupa
Account Number: 7007848513
Bank: BSP Lae Branch
Contact: Brasty Kaupa (Father) – 71814944/73643868
Email: kaupabrasty@gmail.com
