Lakeram shares their journey:
A swollen belly
‘Give him paracetamol,’ the general practitioner said when I brought Lex in. He had been running a high fever for days, and his belly was swollen. A few days later, nothing had changed. The doctor referred us for an ultrasound. The scans showed his liver and spleen were enlarged. The pediatrician thought something was wrong but couldn’t say what. A neighbor of ours, whose daughter had passed away from leukemia, saw the symptoms and warned us. It was terrifying. Stories about cancer in Aruba often don’t end well.
The Netherlands or Colombia?
We had to decide where to go for further testing: the Netherlands or Colombia. It was difficult to choose when we didn’t even know what was wrong. I wanted the doctors in Aruba to guide us, but that took time. We also waited for a call from our insurance company that never came. Meanwhile, Lex developed a high fever and red spots on his face. Back at the hospital, they ran a blood test. I believe it showed he had leukemia, but no one told us.
Shortly after, we were taken by air ambulance. Since many treatments aren’t available in Aruba, patients are often sent to Colombia. That’s what happened to us. Even then, we didn’t know what Lex had. But the medical team on the air ambulance did. ‘Lex has cancer,’ they said. I was holding my son, and my whole body turned cold. If I had known, I would have fought hard to get him to the Netherlands immediately.
A nightmare
At the Colombian airport, we were picked up in a bus converted into an ambulance. It didn’t resemble a real ambulance at all. At the hospital, we were given a room divided by a curtain—it wasn’t even a proper hospital room. I could hear people crying everywhere; it felt like something out of a third-world country. A nightmare.
‘How do you know he has cancer?’ I asked the doctors. They explained that Aruba had sent his blood to the Netherlands, which confirmed leukemia. To be certain, they needed a bone marrow biopsy. The results confirmed it: Lex had leukemia.
My wife caught the first flight to Colombia. We were devastated. ‘Everyone with leukemia dies,’ we thought. But the doctors said it was treatable and told us to have hope. Still, I didn’t want treatment to start there. I kept calling and pushing for one thing: to get to the Netherlands.
‘Just wait’
Lex’s condition worsened. He wasn’t allowed to fly, so chemotherapy had to start in Colombia. Unlike the Netherlands, explanations there are limited. What is chemo? What does it do to your child? You have to figure it out yourself or get vague responses like, ‘Just wait’ or ‘In an hour,’ with no follow-up.
In the first weeks, Lex developed an infection in the central line used for administering medication. This halted the chemo. The line had to be replaced, but infections returned—four times in total. One was life-threatening. His spleen and liver were so enlarged he couldn’t breathe properly, and he was put on a ventilator for a month. He spent two and a half months in intensive care. His immune system was destroyed. It was an incredibly uncertain time, but he pulled through.
Finally, the Netherlands
After about three and a half months in Colombia, we got good news: Lex was cancer-free and could be transferred to the Princess Máxima Center for further treatment. We were so relieved.
From the moment we arrived, we felt welcome. The difference with Colombia was enormous. It was clean, and we had one primary doctor who explained everything. In Colombia, there were at least ten people involved, including students and anyone remotely connected. Everyone at the Máxima is professional, and the communication is excellent.
We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for two months, then rented an apartment nearby. That was helpful because Lex still had fungal infections, making shared living difficult.
After nearly two years of treatment, Lex is doing well. In November, he rang the end-of-treatment bell. Now, we only visit the Máxima for a medication administered during day treatment to boost his immune system.
Going home
We hope to return to Aruba in a few months. We miss our family and old life. Life in the Netherlands is good, and we’re so grateful, but it’s not the same as home. I want to add one thing: I truly hope every child with cancer gets the chance to be treated at the Princess Máxima Center.’
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