“I Thought Cancer Meant Death Until I Found Hope”
“I was always busy taking care of my children,” Halima says quietly. “I never thought I could become seriously sick.”
When 45-year-old Halima Dato first noticed the pain in her throat, life was already demanding everything she had. As a mother of ten children, her days were consumed with caring for her family, preparing meals, managing the household, and making sure her children’s needs came before her own. Like many mothers, her health was the last thing on her mind.
“I was always busy taking care of my children,” Halima says quietly. “I never thought I could become seriously sick.”
But the illness did not wait.
Halima was diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer two years ago. Her condition gradually worsened until swallowing food became painful. Soon, even drinking liquids and swallowing saliva became difficult. Blood-stained saliva and a growing mass in her throat became part of her daily struggle. At the same time, she was also battling pulmonary tuberculosis, which delayed her cancer treatment as she first had to complete TB medication before beginning oncology care.
Today, after completing 33 cycles of radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer, Halima continues her fight through chemotherapy and ongoing investigations. The journey has been long, exhausting, and emotionally draining not only for her, but for her family as well.
At one point, the burden nearly became too much.
“My husband became tired of the long treatment and the financial struggle,” she explains. “He suggested I stop chemotherapy and try traditional medicine instead.”
For many families facing cancer in Ethiopia, this moment is painfully familiar. The cost of treatment, transportation, accommodation, and daily survival can push patients to give up before completing care.
But Halima’s children refused to let her stop fighting.
“They protested and encouraged me to continue,” she says with emotion. “Deep inside, I also wanted to keep going.”
That determination eventually led Halima to the Women Cancer Care House for the second time a place that became more than just accommodation during treatment.
