A 7-year-old child in Singapore was diagnosed with Stage 2 ovarian cancer, after she experienced sudden pain near her abdomen while she was out with her family for dinner. The girl had to undergo an operation to remove her right ovary and fallopian tube as well as chemotherapy after the shocking diagnosis.
7-year-old Xie Ruien’s mother, Ms Chen Beiyun, told the Chinese daily that Ruien experienced sudden pain just below her right abdomen while she was having dinner with her parents and 13-year-old brother on a Sunday night last year.
The pain was so severe that Ruien could not move and the family quickly conveyed her to an accident and emergency (A&E) department for treatment. Ruien was later diagnosed with cancer.
Ms Chen said, “I was shocked. Why would such a young child get this kind of cancer?”
Ruien’s parents decided not to tell the child about her condition and she remained unaware that she had to have surgery and undergo chemotherapy. Revealing that the chemotherapy lasted four months, Ms Chen shared that she was more scared of her daughter going through the gruelling treatment than her optimistic child was:
“I was more afraid of her having to go through chemotherapy than she was.
“When she first started on her chemotherapy, she looked forward to each session because there were many toys at the hospital and she was very happy at the thought of getting to play with them.”
Thankfully, Ruien managed to get through the chemotherapy and is on the road to recovery. Sharing that the the young girl still needs to attend regular medical check-ups, Ms Chen added:
“Because Ruien’s condition is very rare, the doctors said that they will continue to monitor her until she reaches adolescence. The doctors told us that in normal circumstances, a patient will still have her periods and can conceive after receiving treatment.”