PRESS RELEASE: Xploro Launches Interactive Storybook to Support Children Undergoing Chemotherapy

New digital tool, co-created with families and clinicians in Ghana, helps reduce fear and empower children facing cancer treatment.

This Wednesday marks International Friendship Day, July 30^th. Xploro, the award-winning health information platform for children, is launching a new interactive storybook that helps young cancer patients understand intravenous chemotherapy for International Friendship Day. Developed in partnership with World Child Cancer and shaped by families in Ghana, the storybook delivers clinically validated information through storytelling, empathy – and friendship.

At the heart of the storybook is Xploro’s trusted avatar buddy, who guides children through the treatment process, introduces medical staff, and describes equipment and side effects in a reassuring, age-appropriate way. The platform encourages open communication and empowers children to ask questions, turning medical information into a source of confidence and connection.

“This project was led by children and their families in Ghana, whose insights were instrumental in shaping the storybook for children on chemo treatment,” said Dom Raban, CEO and Co-founder of Xploro. “Their voices have helped us create a tool that informs, comforts, and reminds children everywhere that they are not alone.”

Xploro co-designed the storybook with Emma Johnson, Associate Specialist in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, and Augusta Asiedu-Lartey, World Child Cancer’s Child Life Specialist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Their combined clinical insight and cultural understanding helped shape a tool that is both medically accurate and emotionally supportive.

We also benefited from the insights of Child Life Specialists Morgan Livingstone (Canada) and Elizabeth Kabuthi (Kenya), whose perspectives were invaluable in shaping the storybook we are launching today. Additionally, Megan Cruise, Psychosocial Support Advisor at World Child Cancer, provided feedback during the write-up stage – making the language accessible and reassuring for young users.

The launch also celebrates the core value of friendship. In a setting where fear can be overwhelming, Xploro’s avatar buddy is more than just a guide, it’s a consistent, comforting companion for children navigating difficult medical journeys.

Xploro provides World Child Cancer with free, unlimited access to the platform in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Indonesia, and Nepal.