Two-year-old Clarine Nowela Langelo should be playing at home with her two older siblings in Indonesia.
Instead, she is undergoing treatment in Singapore for a rare and highly aggressive form of brain cancer.
Source: Give.Asia
Her family have already spent more than they could afford on her medical care, selling whatever they could to pay for her initial brain surgery.
Now, with doctors saying Clarine must begin 30 sessions of radiotherapy by 19 August 2026, they are appealing to the public for help funding her urgent treatment.
Born in 2024, Clarine was a happy and cheerful child growing up with her family in Poso, Central Sulawesi.
However, her health began deteriorating rapidly in February 2026.
According to her aunt, Jane Langelo, Clarine first developed a fever that lasted three days.
Her right hand and foot then began trembling, and she lost her balance until she could no longer walk independently.
Image courtesy of Jane Langelo
An MRI scan revealed the horrifying cause: Clarine had a brain tumour at just two years and five months old.
She was also diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a serious condition caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain.
Ms Jane told MS News that the diagnosis left the family shocked, panicked, and overwhelmed.
“Her parents cried a lot and sold whatever they could, as we all knew the brain surgery would cost a lot,” she said.
The family brought Clarine to Sunway Hospital in Malaysia, where she underwent surgery to remove the tumour on 11 June 2026.
Ms Jane said the neurosurgeon was kind and had done “a very good job”.
However, just six days of treatment cost the family RM154,432 (around S$48,300), exceeding the initial estimate of between RM100,000 (S$31,000) and RM150,000 (S$47,000).
The amount was already far beyond what the family could afford, but Clarine’s treatment was far from over.
Biopsy results later confirmed that the tumour was an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour, or ATRT.
Source: Give.Asia
ATRT is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord, and is most commonly diagnosed in very young children.
According to the campaign, Clarine’s tumour was classified as Grade 4, and her family was told that she needed intensive treatment urgently because of how quickly the cancer could return.
Clarine’s mother, Yupita Indrajayam, said the family lived a simple life in Poso.
The girl’s father works in farming and earns under 10 million Indonesian rupiah (around S$720) per month.
He also helps at his parents’ electronics shop, as Clarine’s grandfather suffered a stroke three years ago.
Ms Yupita is a full-time caregiver to Clarine and her two older siblings.
The family said they explored treatment at several hospitals, but struggled to find one with the experience and facilities required to treat a young child with ATRT.
Ms Jane claimed that one hospital told her that “no one wants to treat [an] ATRT patient”, while another reportedly said it only treated residents and could not accept foreigners.
An Indonesian hospital also allegedly advised the family to continue treatment overseas, saying that it had limited options available.
Source: Give.Asia
The family initially hesitated to seek treatment in Singapore because of the high costs, having already spent their savings on Clarine’s surgery and hospital care in Malaysia.
However, a pastor they knew in Singapore encouraged them to seek a second opinion here, and they subsequently brought Clarine to the National University Hospital (NUH).
Doctors at NUH outlined an intensive multimodal treatment plan.
This may include induction chemotherapy, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue, radiation therapy, and maintenance treatment involving chemotherapy and targeted drugs.
The estimated total cost of her treatment is approximately S$612,000.
Image courtesy of Jane Langelo
The family said they chose to continue treatment in Singapore because Clarine required specialised paediatric oncology care.
They also said doctors told them Singapore had access to a newer treatment regimen from the United States, as well as proton beam radiotherapy.
Unlike conventional radiotherapy, which uses photons, proton beam therapy uses protons to deliver radiation more precisely to a tumour.
It is designed to reduce the amount of radiation reaching nearby healthy tissue, which can be especially important for young children who may be more vulnerable to long-term side effects.
Source: Give.Asia
Amid the worrying diagnosis, staging investigations offered the family some hope.
According to Clarine’s NUH medical report, an MRI of her spine and a lumbar tap showed that the cancer had not spread to other parts of her body at that time.
Clarine’s original treatment plan indicated that radiotherapy would begin several months later.
However, the family said doctors subsequently advised that she must start 30 radiotherapy sessions by 19 Aug 2026 because of how quickly Grade 4 ATRT can return.
Our family has gone from having months to prepare to having just one month to raise the funds needed for this life-saving treatment.
Source: Give.Asia
The family has been funding Clarine’s treatment one stage at a time.
Ms Jane said donations initially covered only the first cycle of chemotherapy.
While Clarine underwent that cycle, the family continued campaigning to raise money for the next stage of treatment.
At the time of the interview, Clarine had begun her second chemotherapy cycle.
Some upcoming treatments also require payment in advance before they can proceed.
The family has appealed for donations of any amount, while asking those unable to contribute financially to share Clarine’s story with their friends, relatives, and communities.
“As her mother, the most painful part is knowing that my little girl is too young to understand any of this,” Ms Yupita wrote on the campaign page. “She only knows that she wants to be held when she is frightened.”
Clarine’s condition has also affected her daily behaviour.
“She was a happy and cheerful baby. Ever since she fell sick, she just hit her head often and rubbed her eyes,” Ms Jane told MS News.
As Clarine gradually began speaking one word at a time, she would say “sakit”, meaning “pain”, and cry whenever she was hurting.
Source: Give.Asia
To cope with the demands of her treatment, the family has divided its responsibilities.
Clarine’s parents focus on caring for her, while Ms Jane handles medical arrangements and manages the fundraising campaign.
As of Thursday (6 Aug), the Give.Asia campaign had raised more than S$573,000 from over 11,000 donors, including two anonymous contributions of S$10,000 each.
Other donors left messages wishing Clarine a smooth recovery and praising her strength.
Ms Jane described the public response as “so generous”, saying the campaign had received significant support within its first month.
Of course, we see a light in the darkness. We came to Singapore with no money.
Image courtesy of Jane Langelo
The donations have allowed the family to focus less on the immediate cost of some upcoming treatments, although they are continuing to raise funds for the remainder of Clarine’s care.
Despite everything she has endured, Clarine has retained her cheerful laugh.
Her family hopes that she will have the chance to grow up, return home to her siblings, and reclaim the future that cancer has threatened to take from her.
Those who wish to support Clarine can donate through the family’s Give.Asia campaign. All funds raised are managed by Give.Asia and paid directly to the hospital.
Image courtesy of Jane Langelo
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Featured image adapted from Give.Asia.