Sandiso Phaliso
CANCER is not a death penalty and speaking the word should not be taboo in this day and age because there are modern medicines and experienced medical personnel to help people meet and overcome the challenges of the diagnosis.
These were inspirational words from cancer survivor Kauther Roomaney, 19, when she addressed a gathering of friends, family and guests at a breakfast event in Rylands yesterday as part of cancer awareness month.
Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai, also a cancer survivor, urged people to support people living with the illness.
“Treatment is expensive, especially for cancer survivors. The ultimate solution lies with the community for support,” said Desai.
He told the gathering of about 100 people that he had received support from the community that surrounded him and the nurses and doctors that treated him.
Roomaney shared her story with the crowd, saying since her diagnosis a year ago she has felt lifeless.
“When you 18 you are supposed to be in the prime of your life, going to university and starting your future,” said Roomaney.
She started experiencing symptoms during her Grade 12 preliminary examinations.
“We all thought it was probably the normal matric stress kicking in,” she said. But her tough journey started when she was writing her final examinations.
She was diagnosed with end of stage 2 and beginning of stage 3 non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Lymphoma is the cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system.
“Up until that point I had never thought for a second I would hear the words ‘you have cancer’, in my lifetime, let alone while I was a teenager,” she added.
At that time things were very unclear for her, her health, well-being and future seemed hopeless.
“I used to go into the exam room thinking to myself, what am I really doing here? I am writing matric finals for a future I may not even see.”
But her support system, which includes her parents, friends, community members and medical personnel, helped her to realise it was not the end of the world.
A doctor and a cancer survivor Nadia Hamdulay, 48, who was also at the breakfast meeting, was diagnosed with breast cancer in April this year when she went to see a doctor for a routine mammogram.
“In that moment of diagnosis I felt like my whole identity had been turned on its head. I was no longer just a doctor (but) I was a cancer patient, a patient with all the fears of how will I cope? Am I going to die?” said Hamdulay.
“It was like a rollercoaster ride. Everything happened so fast.”
But with the support she got from people around her, cancer has taught her to put things into perspective, slow down and focus on what is important.