Brain Tumor stage 2 lungs cancer

Rebecca Riak spent her childhood in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya after seeing her father killed by rebels in South Sudan.

She overcame the astonishing hurdles of growing up in the camp — lack of nutritious food, poor sanitation, overcrowding, flooding, lack of access to education — to win a World University Service of Canada (WUSC) scholarship. In 2013, she came to Winnipeg to go to school, leaving behind her beloved mother Elizabeth Nyagai, 52, two sisters, now 15 and 17, and her foster brother, whom her family adopted in the camp.

In 2015, Rebecca’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rebecca managed to move her family to an apartment in Nairobi so her mother could receive treatment, as the refugee camp is three days’ drive from the city and offers woefully insufficient medical facilities for cancer treatment.

She did this by working two jobs while simultaneously pursuing two degrees at the University of Manitoba, often working overnight shifts.

Rebecca recently received news that her mother has Stage 2 lung cancer that has spread to her brain and requires radiation, the cost of which has been estimated at $35,000. From thousands of miles away, she is struggling to pay her family’s bills, as well as the added medical expenses. Her wish to be by her mother’s side at this time is not feasible, as if she doesn’t continue to work two jobs, she can’t afford to pay her family’s rent and grocery bills as well as cover her mother’s treatment.

This GoFundMe campaign will help Rebecca pay for her mother Elizabeth’s medical costs at Aga Khan hospital and allow her to visit her in Nairobi and take care of her siblings while her mother recovers. Any amount would be gratefully accepted.

Read more about Rebecca’s contributions to her community here: http://wfp.to/helprebecca