Venezuelan boy, 14, with cancer on road to recovery

Fourteen-year-old Venezuelan cancer patient George Riad Haidar Maican is on the road to recovery, thanks to "kind-hearted" doctors as well as the people who donated to help pay his medical expenses.

"Two days ago, he finished the seventh (chemotherapy) session. He has three more to go. He is doing much better and is at home," George’s aunt Lismar Valasquez, 34, told Newsday by phone on Wednesday.

Newsday first highlighted George’s plight last October when he was at San Fernando General Hospital battling nodular sclerosis, a subtype of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

As a non-national, he is only entitled to primary health care at public institutions like SFGH. As his health worsened, the worried family set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to pay his medical expenses at a private facility.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraising page, created on October 25, 2020, said CAN$9,240 was raised. The fundraiser is no longer accepting donations.

Valasquez said, "Many of the doctors help for free. Many offer their services to us for less to nothing. The cancer slightly touched his bone. As a precautionary measure, doctors said he has to do some radiation sessions for it."

She recalled that one night, George experienced excruciating pain after a round of chemotherapy.

"When they sent him home that day, they thought he was good. But he got some issues, and we had to take him back to the hospital. They kept him overnight," Valasquez said. "After that, almost all other sessions had minor issues, like vomiting, but no major scare."

Speaking on behalf of the family, she thanked everyone who has helped them.