Santa Farma Launches Happy Tales Project

Santa Farma volunteers read stories to children undergoing treatment at the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Department of Dokuz Eylül University Research and Application Hospital under the "Happy Stories Project." The stories were set to music by the Association of Laughter Heals, uploaded to MP3 players and gifted to the children. Fifty Santa Farma volunteer employees voiced 125 psychologist-approved stories in their homes so that children undergoing cancer treatment could benefit from the healing power of happy stories during their extended hospital stays. Santa Farma volunteers had previously voiced 100 stories the previous year, reaching children undergoing treatment at the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Department of BAU Medikal Park Göztepe Hospital.

15 February: World Childhood Cancer Day

Globally, 300,000 children each year receive an initial diagnosis and begin fighting cancer, with approximately 3,500-4,000 children in Turkey. Childhood cancers account for 2-4% of all cancers. The most common childhood cancers are leukemia and lymphoma. Unlike in adults, there are no screening tests for childhood cancer diagnoses, which is why parents need to pay attention to possible cancer warning signs. Parents should consult a doctor if a child develops unexpected pallor, swelling, abdominal distension, growth stoppage or abnormal growth in any tissue, bruising on the skin, weakness, fatigue, pain, fever, or itching.