Teen warrior rises above cancer recurrence

September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, bringing global recognition to the fight against the disease.

Cancer warrior Amoré Britz is among many others who have soared above adversity after undergoing life-threatening operations.

Her heartwarming story is one of resilience, bravery and positivity, inspiring others with her remarkable survival and recovery.

She was first diagnosed with an ependymoma, a cancerous brain tumour, in 2021, after what initially began as migraines.

Reflecting on her child’s ordeal, her mother, Cindy, said her daughter faced many setbacks but refused to give up.

“In May 2021, she started getting sick, and we did a computed tomography scan and found she had an 8cm tumour. Three days after that, she had her first operation, and the doctor who operated told us he had completely removed the tumour. Shortly after that, she started six weeks of radiation,” she said.

A sense of normalcy returned as the family tried to get back into the swing of things, convinced they had conquered cancer. They continued their daily routine, and young Amoré returned to school, where she attended Grade Five.

She was a regular child again, forever with a gleaming smile.

A tragic turn of events

Amoré was an energetic and fervent child full of curiosity. She embraced each day with excitement and positivity. As the years passed, she excelled academically and enjoyed the beauty of childhood.

However, her expectations were shattered this year just as she looked forward to increased independence and building relations with peers in a new school (Grade Eight).

“In April, she again got sick, and I thought maybe it was just a bug. Two days after that, I took her to hospital, and there they found the recurrence of the tumour. A week later, they did an operation, but the doctor only got her out of the red zone. A third operation to completely remove the tumour was done at Netcare Alberton Hospital through Dr Tommy Mbuyane,” explained Cindy.

With the third operation, they had to go a bit deeper than previous operations because the tumour had rooted itself in the brain. After the operation, Amoré lost movement in the entire left part of her body.

“She was then moved to a rehab centre, and suddenly, her leg started working. She can now talk, and everything is improving. She will also complete her radiation sessions and finish next Thursday, where she will also ring the bell, marking the end of her radiation,” she explained.

Cindy said the ordeal took a great toll on them, especially financially, saying the medical aid spent almost R800 000 on Amoré’s treatment. They have also dug deep into their pockets and spent R70 000 on her treatment.

Cindy thanked the hospital staff and Cupcakes of Hope for their steadfast support on their journey.

Beats cancer like a champ

Sister Precious Mavunda of Netcare Alberton Hospital said Amoré would continue with her sessions while they try to get her much more flexible and that she would conduct tests regularly.

Dr Tanya Krakowitzer, a paediatric oncologist, says an ependymoma is a brain tumour that does not respond to chemo.

“Its main thing is surgery, and the radiation is to prevent it from coming back. You have to cut it all out; if you leave a part behind, it will start growing again. In Amoré’s initial surgery, the parents were told that they got everything out, and after the first surgery, there was a significant residual tumour left behind,” she said.

She said there was no structured follow-up with protocols to monitor the growth or recurrence of this tumour.

Krakowitzer reiterated that if one is diagnosed with a brain tumour, monitoring it closely to avoid recurrence is crucial.

“The risk we had to take was to cut the whole thing out, knowing she might lose speech, power, movement and sensation on one side of her body. This child has gone through three or four surgeries with two radiation sessions. She has responded well,” Krakowitzer explained.

She said they would keep a close eye on her, knowing the tumour was resected completely. Amoré is looking forward to ringing the bell, the oncology unit’s custom of marking the end of treatment, on September 12.