A positive outlook goes a long way

“Kindness and caring makes all the difference.”

These are the words that inspire 73-year-old Mrs Sandi van Tonder.

Born in Standerton, a small town in Mpumalanga, Mrs Van Tonder was the eldest of three sisters and had a happy childhood.

She came to Johannesburg with her parents when she was three years old.

Mrs Van Tonder said she has always been a positive person.

“I love to give positive energy to people – a hug and a smile to someone in a bad space means a lot to them,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

She is known for her involvement in the community, especially the Cansa Keurboom Interim Home for Cancer Patients.

Her involvement with Keurboom started 22 years ago after she read an article about the home.

“As I was reading the article, I became interested and decided to phone them to find out more about what they did. They invited me for coffee and from that moment I felt a passion for the place, as well as the patients,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

She identified a need for positive energy in the home and she agreed with management to host art classes.

“I volunteered to give monthly art classes to the patients and found that this took their minds off their illness and treatment,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

She was eventually invited to join the liaison committee and later on in 2009, was promote to the position of care home manager of Keurboom.

“I love working with the home. I’m an admin person and organising and putting things together is my forte. When I retired in March 2014, it was difficult for me because I have been with the home for 22 years. So now I’m the chairperson of the liaison committee. I’m happy because I still get to fulfill my passion, which is helping and organising,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

She says she is fortunate not to have had cancer herself but losing a number of family and friends to the disease has made her more involved and informed.

“When you have spent time with patients and see what they go through, you get to the point of always informing yourself about the disease and taking better care of your health,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

According to Mrs Van Tonder, Keurboom is a “home from home”. The home accommodates patients while they are undergoing radio or chemo therapy.

The house was originally built in the late 1800s and was the residence of the Netherlands Ambassador to South Africa in the early 1900s. It was donated to the Cancer Association in 1975, and a wing consisting of 10 bedrooms was built by Rotary.

The home can accommodate 28 patients. The patients are taken to and from the hospital from Monday to Friday.

Healthy meals are provided three times a day, and patients are looked after by dedicated staff.

“Hosting events such as the Cansa Jail & Bail makes the public aware of what Cansa is all about. We do health talks on request and pap smears are done at reasonable costs. Clinical breast examinations/mole analysis/rapid PSA finger prick testing, individual counselling and support groups can be done at your work place,” said Mrs Van Tonder.

The Cansa Jail & Bail will take place on Saturday, November 14, at the Park Meadows Shopping Centre.