‘I kept calling, because I only wanted one thing: to go to The Netherlands. The difference with Colombia is enormous.’

Lex's father, Lakeram, shares their story: ‘‘Give him paracetamol’, said the doctor when I visited with Lex. He had been running a high fever for days, and his belly was swollen. A few days later, it still wasn’t over. The doctor sent us to the hospital for an ultrasound. The doctors saw that his liver and spleen were larger than normal. It was something, according to the pediatrician, but they didn’t know what exactly. But my neighbor doubted that. Her daughter had died from leukemia, and she recognized things in our story. Very scary. When you hear stories about cancer in Aruba, it usually doesn’t end well.

The Netherlands or Colombia?

For further investigation, we had to choose: the hospital in The Netherlands or Colombia. It’s hard to decide when you don’t know exactly what your child has. I wanted the doctors in Aruba to give us good advice. That took some time. We also had to wait for a call from our insurance, but they didn’t call. Meanwhile, Lex’s fever went higher, and he had red spots on his face. Back at the hospital, they did a blood test. I think that’s when they found out Lex had leukemia. The doctors just didn’t tell us anything.

Shortly after, we were picked up by air ambulance. Because many treatments can’t be done in Aruba, many people are taken to Colombia. We were no exception. Still, we didn’t know what Lex had, but the air ambulance staff did. ‘Lex has cancer,’ they said. I had my son in my arms – my whole body was cold. If I had known this, I would have fought very hard to get him to The Netherlands as soon as possible.

One big nightmare

At the airport in Colombia, we were picked up by a van that served as an ambulance. It didn’t look anything like a real ambulance. When we arrived at the hospital, we got a room with a curtain. It wasn’t even a hospital room. I could hear people crying everywhere. A nightmare.

‘How do you know he has cancer?’ I asked the doctors. They answered that Aruba had sent blood to The Netherlands, and that’s how they found out Lex had leukemia. To know for sure, they needed to do a bone marrow biopsy. The results confirmed it: Lex indeed had leukemia.

My wife took the next flight to Colombia. We were so sad. We thought everyone who has leukemia dies. According to the doctors in Colombia, it was treatable, and we needed to stay hopeful. But I didn’t want Lex’s treatment to start in this hospital. I kept trying, calling, because I only wanted one thing: to go to The Netherlands.

‘Just wait’

Lex got sicker. He wasn’t fit to fly. For that reason, we had to start chemotherapy in Colombia. Unlike in The Netherlands, they give you very limited explanation in Colombia. What is chemotherapy? What does it do to your child? If you want information, you have to look it up yourself. Or you would be told: ‘Just wait, I’m busy’ or ‘in an hour,’ and then nothing would happen.

In the first weeks, Lex got an infection in the central line through which his medications were being administered. That’s why chemotherapy had to be stopped. The line was replaced, but shortly after, Lex got another infection. This happened a total of four times. One of the last times was life-threatening. His spleen and liver were so enlarged that there wasn’t enough space to breathe in and out properly. As a result, Lex had to be on a ventilator for a month. He spent 2.5 months in intensive care. His immune system was completely gone. It was a very uncertain time. Fortunately, he managed to pull through.

Finally, to The Netherlands

After about three and a half months in Colombia, we finally received good news: Lex no longer had leukemia cells and could be transferred to the Princess Máxima Center in The Netherlands for further treatment. A huge relief.

From the moment we arrived at the Máxima, we felt very welcome. The difference with Colombia is enormous. It’s clean here, and there’s only one main doctor explaining what’s going to happen. In Colombia, you deal with at least ten people: students and anyone involved, even a little. Everyone at the Máxima is very professional, and the communication is great.

We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for two months, and later, we were able to rent an apartment near the hospital. That was very nice because Lex still had fungal infections, which made living with others difficult.

After almost two years of treatment, Lex is doing well. In November, he was allowed to ring the bell. In the last few months, we only go to the Máxima for a medication he receives during day treatment to improve his immunity.

Homeward bound

We hope to return to Aruba in a few months. We miss our family and our old life. Life here in The Netherlands is nice, and we are very grateful, but it’s still not the same as home. However, I want to add one thing: I truly hope every child with cancer gets the chance to be treated at the Princess Máxima Center.’