The Child Cancer Scam: 1. The video

World of Secrets

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.7 • 765 Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Seven-year-old Khalil from the Philippines has cancer. His family hope making a campaign video might save him, because they desperately need help to pay for his treatment. But the shoot is demanding, exhausting. Khalil even has onions put in front of his eyes to make him cry.

For his mother Aljin, it’s a last-ditch attempt to help her son. But despite following every demand made by a “foreign sponsor”, she’s told the video doesn’t make any money.

Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.

Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.

Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:07.0	My Christmas Mix is pure 90s festive nostalgia.
0:11.1	You know, the Christmas songs you listen to on repeat.
0:14.0	Ho!
0:14.3	Ho! Ho! No, no, no.
0:17.5	I'm all about the big hitting Christmas anthems.
0:20.4	Come on, guys. What about those tunes that really slay?
0:23.7	It's Christmas Kitchen Disno season, surely.
0:26.4	Give me hip-hip Christmas bangers every day.
0:28.6	Those Christmas tracks that are straight out of Lapland.
0:30.9	Get all kinds of Christmassy.
0:32.6	Just search Christmas music on BBC Sounds.
0:35.8	Episodes of World of Secrets are released weekly, wherever you get to your BBC podcasts.
0:41.8	But if you can't wait, you can listen to the whole series right now.
0:46.6	First on BBC Sounds.
1:02.0	Algin Squees her son's hand as they walk along the hospital corridors.
1:04.0	She's focused.
1:09.0	Her husband and the rest of their children follow closely behind.
1:17.6	They find the right place and push the door open into a brightly lit treatment room.
1:22.6	They see colourful balloons strung up around a bed. There's an oxygen tank and a drip.
1:25.6	But there are no doctors or nurses in the room, just a camera crew, waiting.
1:34.1	This is what Algin says happens next.
	...

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