Miss South Africa 2018’s alluring and educated looks camouflage a past which almost curtailed her ascension to the throne.
Tamaryn Green overcame tuberculosis (TB) and is now committed to helping others conquer the disease and also pursue their own ambitions and dreams in life.
Green spoke about her battle in 2015 with the ailment, one of the 10 deadliest infections which killed 1,7 million people last year globally. This as the city council also runs ongoing campaigns in Alexandra on the disease and other illnesses.
Like all other title holders who use their high profile position to adopt a cause or campaign, she announced that her reign would focus on raising awareness about the disease to make a difference in the lives of others. Through her #breakthestigma campaign, Green hopes to complement the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the national Department of Health’s TB campaigns and help people suffering from TB to come out of the shadows and reduce the stigma associated with it.
Crowned in her sixth-year of medical study at the University of Cape Town, Green said when she was diagnosed with the disease she failed to share her story because of the stigma. “This made the process of diagnosis and treatment much harder and more traumatic for me,” she said.
Her input will help the WHO’s End TB campaign to ‘conquer the epidemic by reducing TB deaths by 95 per cent and cut new cases by 90 per cent between 2015 and 2035, and ensure that families are not burdened with catastrophic expenses from the ailment’.
Green said it took her three years to talk about her illness. “I could have avoided a lot of trauma speaking about it sooner. I am now in the process of dealing with it and I want to encourage people not to be afraid to speak up about this problem and get the help they need.
“It is the only way we are going to beat TB. The power from the Miss SA platform will amplify my voice and with that, I have an opportunity to help as many people as I can.”
She offered the following facts about TB:
- TB is prevalent in the country and most undeveloped countries than in developed countries
- TB is spread mainly by breathing in airborne bacteria from infected people
- TB does not discriminate and is curable
- TB affects the lungs, joints, bones, nervous system and lymph nodes
- A person can be infected by TB organism for years without getting sick or spreading the disease until the immune system is weakened
- Stigma and discrimination prevent effective diagnosis and treatment
- The minimum period for successful treatment of TB is six months and medication must be taken as prescribed
- Defaulting on a treatment regimen results in the emergence of drug-resistant strains of TB.
Details: Website: misssa.co.za
