Help 3-year-old Delfina fight cancer for the second time

Updated Fundraiser Story (Oct 2023)

A little over a month ago we received the news that the cancer has possibly returned... (it's as if something inside us was activated again, we feel it in the body, it must be stress, tiredness, thinking too much, I don't know...) These are difficult weeks for us trying to comply with everything, while we keep up with the pace of more check-ups, more scanners and more hospital visits.

After spending a little more than a year without treatment, but with regular check-ups; in Delfi's last scan the results were not what we had been hearing every month. This time the doctor said that the cancer seems to have returned, that the "little piece" of tumor that remained (due to its location and difficult to remove by surgery) got bigger .

This time it costs twice as much, we look at each other and ask ourselves: and now... with what strength do we face everything again? Where do we get the strength from?

At this moment we are waiting for the results of the last scan and the meeting with the doctors, only then we will find out what the next steps are.

Thank you for keeping us in mind 🙏🏼

Jesica, Marcelo and Delfina

Added by Lorena: Delfina's (now 3.5-years-old) treatment is done at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital. Despite being a public hospital and its costs being quite low, the public system is overwhelmed and getting an appointment for check-ups takes a long time. For this reason, they are often asked to carry out the check-ups privately, since in cancer treatment you cannot wait. These checkups cost between HK$ 8,000 and 20,000 each, and must be done 1 or 2 times per month at this moment. We still don't know how many scans will be needed once the new treatment begins. For this reason, we ask for collaboration to face these high costs that the family will have to face for Delfina's recovery.

First round we raised nearly HK$ 235,000 and we are aiming at HK$ 150,000 this time until we have details of the new treatment.

How to donate:

- Credit card through the link on this page.

- FPS 5495 6281 (Pussetto J G) or 5267 5534 (Troncoso S M)

- Bank account

Bank name: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Address: 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Beneficiary's account number: 829 395037 833
Beneficiary's name: Jesica Gretel Pussetto
(Bank code 004, Branch 829, Account 395037 833)

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First Stage of Fundraiser Story

Delfina Troncoso is an 18 month old baby who until July 8, 2021 was a very active, smiley, happy, strong, healthy girl and with a lot of love. On Friday, July 9, 2021, Delfina did not want to walk or play as usual. Her parents, Jesica and Marcelo, took her to hospital where they found that Delfina had cancer. And this is how, without notice, a horrible nightmare began. Delfina already successfully overcame her first surgery, the first of a very long and painful battle filled with many uncertainties.

This funding was created to support this beautiful family with their medical and hospital bills. Additionally, we are asking for prayers for Delfina to survive this cancer and for her family to be strong throughout the process.

The cost and duration of Delfina’s treatment is still unknown, but we are certain that it will be very expensive and will require the generosity of all those who decide to help Delfina fight cancer. Every donation means a lot to her family and will be greatly appreciated - you will help pay for Delfina's treatment and help save her life!

Please share this with your friends and family on social media. It will be a very long road, but we know that we will get there together.

DONATE DIRECT TO JESICA'S ACCOUNT:

Bank name: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Address: 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Beneficiary's account number: 829 395037 833
Beneficiary's name: Jesica Gretel Pussetto
(Bank code 004, Branch 829, Account 395037 833)

FOLLOW DELFINA'S UPDATES

Mom Jesica: https://www.instagram.com/jesica_pussetto/
Dad Marcelo: https://www.instagram.com/troncoso__marcelo/

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And so this nightmare began:

Until Thursday, July 8, 2021, Delfina was a very active girl (like all children at that age, she had just turned 18 months). She was happy, strong, healthy, with lots of love to give and lots of hugs that she loved giving and getting. All her psychomotor development was normal, nothing to worry about. But it was on Friday, July 9, 2021, that Delfina did not want to walk or play as she usually did. That day she was held and pampered a lot. At night she tried to walk and she could, but not very well. Thinking that she had injured her knee or bent her ankle, her parents decided to take her to hospital the next day. They never thought of anything worse because she didn't show any sign, she was still smiling and happy, and demanding a lot of pampering.

Initially they went to the Tseung Kwan O Hospital emergency and the physical examinations did not detect anything unusual, but after taking X-rays, they detected a black area on the chest, and there began the nightmare that no parent would want to go through. After several medical tests and a whole day of crying due to the pain of punctures in the body and not understanding anything, that afternoon doctors informed that Delfina had cancer. She was transferred to Hong Kong Children's Hospital where she received the first chemotherapy session to which she responded well. These first days her parents were only allowed to visit her for 30 minutes a day, only one parent at a time (15 minutes each), another very hard thing to handle at a time of so much pain and uncertainty.

On Monday the 12th the doctors reported that it was necessary to do an urgent surgery, and that if they decided not to operate on Delfina she would be fine with chemotherapy but she would lose the mobility of her legs. If they operated on her, she would be able to walk and then they would continue with more chemotherapy. The risk of the surgery was very high, the surgery was not that complex in itself, but the risk was the general anesthesia, Delfina could stop breathing, for different reasons, and it was quite difficult to revive her.

Jesica and Marcelo decided to proceed and were able to see Delfina before surgery. The doctors let them pray with her and be by her side until she fell asleep. Delfina successfully overcame the first surgery and despite the fact that the doctors had said that she would barely open her eyes upon awakening from the anesthesia, Delfina recognized her mother, extended her arms to hug her, moved her little body and rotated sides. In addition to all that, when the doctors touched and examined her, Delfina told them "No No No", and she turned around proving to be a strong baby, a fighter who does not give up. The doctors said that she was a strong and tireless girl, they could not believe everything she was doing within minutes of the surgery. Delfina showed how strong she is.

As the popular Argentinian saying goes, this story started “without anesthesia”, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Jesica and Marcelo know that this will not last forever, they know that there is a long road ahead. At times, it will exhaust them and they will want everything to end, but they have hope and they know that today they have to take care of Delfina in a special way but it won’t last forever. The results of the biopsy aren’t ready yet, they do not know how many chemotherapy sessions Delfina will need. They know that this is just the beginning, a heartbreaking situation where there will be times when they will feel “this is too much, I can't”. But, they do not complain, they no longer wonder why this is happening to them, they are fighting cancer together and trusting in God.

To end the beginning of this story, we just want to add that this hard time that Marcelo and Jesica have to face as parents, does not compare to everything that Delfina is going through. She is giving her best, in the way that she can, considering she is only 18 months old, she is smiling, and showing happiness, accepting having to spend most of the time lying in bed, taking all the medicines and doing everything they ask her to do. This is a nightmare, a long journey, difficult to stay strong, difficult to sleep, to eat, to be away from the hospital waiting area, but knowing that God is in control they are doing their best to be strong for Delfina.

* Text written according to Jesica's story on her instagram account.