Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer at The Max Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“In October 2024, during my visit to Kathmandu, I sat down with Sucharita Tuladhar, a pediatric oncologist at Patan Hospital who is also a partner physician with The Max Foundation. Dr. Tuladhar shared her excitement for the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital initiative which was about to be launched in her hospital. However, she also shared that each year, Patan Hospital receives referrals from 60–80 suspected pediatric cancer patients, yet nearly half of these families cannot afford the initial diagnostic tests needed to confirm their child’s condition. Without a confirmed diagnosis, the initiative remains locked, treatment stays out of reach.
For families already bearing crushing financial burdens, the costs of biopsies, imaging studies, and specialized pathology tests stand as gatekeepers between their children and treatment. The mother of an 8-year-old, for example, explained,
‘We had only a limited amount of money left, which was not enough for further tests.’
Hearing Dr. Tuladhar, I recognized that this was something we can fix. In partnership with Save Little Souls Foundation Nepal and with the support of the global community, we launched a diagnostic support program in September 2025. Our mission: no child should go without treatment in Nepal simply because their family cannot afford the diagnostic tests.
This past summer, I dedicated my birthday campaign to this cause. Every dollar raised through your generous contributions went directly to supporting our programs in Nepal, giving more children access to timely, quality treatment when it matters most. Within months, Dr. Sucharita was able to confirm the diagnosis of 10 children whose disease would have otherwise go untreated. Each diagnosis unlocked the door to the treatment they urgently needed.
The mother of the 8-year-old shared,
‘This diagnostic support made timely tests and initial treatment possible, which helped prevent the cancer from worsening. Because of this support, my child could start treatment on time and continue the journey with hope.’
You can learn more about our ambition to expand services to patients at my 2026 State of the Organization talk on February 19.”
More posts featuring Pat Garcia-Gonzalez on OncoDaily.