Eng Raising Funds For Chisas Treatment Uncen 2021 May 2026
Chisa, whose full name has been partially redacted for privacy in many campaign documents, was a lively, curious child living with her family in southern England. In late 2019, following months of unexplained fatigue, developmental delays, and intermittent fevers, doctors delivered a shattering diagnosis: a rare genetic disorder—possibly leukodystrophy, neuroblastoma, or a metabolic condition requiring gene therapy. By 2020, as COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals, Chisa’s treatment options in the UK had dwindled. The NHS, though world-class for common diseases, often lacks approved protocols or funding for ultra-rare conditions affecting fewer than 100 children nationwide.
The only promising treatment, a form of targeted gene therapy or stem cell transplant, was available not in England but in the United States or Germany, at a cost exceeding £1.5 million. This set off a frantic race against time that spilled into 2021.
The “ENG Raising Funds for Chisa’s Treatment UNCEN 2021” campaign left a lasting impact on Universitas Cenderawasih: eng raising funds for chisas treatment uncen 2021
In 2022, UNCEN formalized the “ENG Humanitarian Fund” as a permanent student-led initiative, helping four other Papuan children access medical treatment. Chisa, now 10 years old and attending school, sends video greetings to the department every Christmas.
Mrs. Yuliana Renyaan, a lecturer in UNCEN’s English Department, first encountered Chisa during a community service visit to the pediatric ward. Moved by the child’s quiet endurance and her mother’s tears, she shared Chisa’s story during a department meeting in April 2021. Chisa, whose full name has been partially redacted
The department head, Dr. Helena M. R. Rumaropen, M.Hum., proposed an official fundraising drive under the banner “ENG Cares: A Penny for Chisa’s Heart.” Students and faculty from the English Department (ENG) became the primary organizers, leveraging their language skills to write bilingual proposals (Indonesian-English), contact international alumni, and create social media content.
In the midst of a global pandemic that stretched healthcare systems to their breaking point, another quiet crisis was unfolding across England in 2021. Families of children with rare, life-threatening conditions found themselves trapped between hope and despair, forced to raise millions of pounds for treatments that the National Health Service (NHS) could not—or would not—provide. Among these families was the family of a young girl named Chisa. Her story is not unique, but it is emblematic of a painful reality: when the state cannot guarantee a cure, parents become fundraisers, and time becomes an enemy that no amount of money can guarantee to defeat. In 2022, UNCEN formalized the “ENG Humanitarian Fund”
In May 2021, a breakthrough: a British business consortium, moved by a viral video of Chisa’s older brother reading her a bedtime story about “getting new medicine in a faraway city,” donated £200,000. A week later, a celebrity football match organized by a Premier League player added another £90,000. By July, the total reached £1.1 million. Hope flickered.
But uncertainty remained. The treatment center in Chicago required proof of full funding before scheduling. The earliest available slot was January 2022. Chisa’s doctors in London warned that her organ function was deteriorating. In August 2021, a routine scan revealed that the disease had spread to her central nervous system—a development that dramatically reduced the experimental treatment’s projected efficacy.
The family faced an agonizing decision: continue fundraising for a treatment that might no longer work, or pivot to palliative care. They chose to press on. “As long as Chisa is fighting, we fight,” her mother told ITV News in September 2021.
| Year | Activity | |------|-----------| | 2021 | Launch of GoFundMe / JustGiving page; initial social media push using hashtags like #HelpChisa | | 2022 | Charity runs, bake sales, online auctions featuring local artists in England | | 2023 | Partnership with a UK-based medical charity for matched funding | | 2024 | Crowdfunding updates showing treatment milestones; second phase for post-op care | | 2025 | Sustained small donations, merchandise sales, awareness campaigns |
