She loves school, a 30-minute walk from home, where she excels at science, English and math. In her free time, Natasha enjoys puzzles, reading, and playing netball, which is like basketball. Her favorite foods are pork and African plantain.

Natasha was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in April 2019. She knew something was wrong when she developed sores on her tongue, was very weak, and started to bleed from her nose and mouth. Dr. Joseph Lubega, St. Baldrick’s International Scholar, was leading a team of childhood cancer specialists at Uganda’s most advanced medical facility – Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. AML is one of the childhood blood cancers (leukemia) that are very difficult to cure. Most centers in Sub-Sahara Africa only provide end-of-life comfort care for children with AML. However, Tasha got a timely accurate diagnosis using advanced laboratory technology (called flow cytometry) that Dr. Lubega initiated in Uganda as part of his St. Baldrick’s supported research. Natasha started treatment within one day, and she recalls, “I immediately started feeling better and stronger. At first, I didn’t have an appetite, but it returned.” Today, almost three years later, she remains cancer-free.

Natasha’s treatment lasted about three months, shorter than kids diagnosed with AML in the United States. According to Dr. Lubega, “We use older protocols in Uganda because we lack the intense supportive care resources that are necessary to handle complications from more intense treatment that children in the United States would receive.”

When asked what she would say to other kids with cancer, Natasha didn’t hesitate in her response. She said, “Take them to the hospital. Get them good treatment like me. Show them much love and take care of them so they will get well like me.”