Radio icon, Darren Scott. Picture: Facebook/Darren Scott
A BackaBuddy campaign for radio icon Darren Scott’s cancer treatment has raised at least R126 915 of its R960 000 goal.
The campaign was initiated by his ex-wife, Sarah-Kate Accetta, to assist Scott in his ongoing battle with melanoma.
ALSO READ: Actor James Van Der Beek diagnosed with colorectal cancer
Scott was first diagnosed with melanoma in 1986 and has since faced multiple recurrences of this aggressive skin cancer over the years.
In a Facebook post he wrote in December last year, he shared that he has been living with melanoma for 38 years.
“Melanoma is an invasive skin cancer, with a very high risk of death. While early-stage melanoma is treatable, late-stage cases remain a different story, even with medical advancements,” he shared.
Scott revealed that he had previously refused chemotherapy and radiation treatment, opting instead to rely on his immune system.
Over the years, he has undergone multiple surgeries, including the removal of part of his lung, sections of his chin, and lymph nodes.
Scott said that, at one point, he was told he had a 30% chance of surviving.
“Since 1986, my body has been like a ‘pinball machine’ when it comes to this disease. Discounting the numerous very early-stage melanomas (malignant moles in simple terms), which have been removed without any follow-up treatment necessary, I’ve had five more serious ones… that is, at a more advanced stage.
“Some primary… in other words, ‘new’ melanomas that have popped up from ‘nowhere’… others secondary… which, in crude terms, means they’re the ‘offshoots’ of previous primary melanomas that suddenly pop up somewhere else in my body,” he wrote.
In a statement released over the weekend, Scott’s current employers, HOT 102.7FM, said the BackaBuddy campaign is aimed at assisting the veteran radio personality with the costs related to his ongoing cancer treatment.
According to the station, Scott relocated to the United States in 2022, where he had medical aid coverage and was receiving treatment.
However, upon his return to South Africa in early 2024, he was no longer covered and is currently in an exclusionary waiting period.
“HOT 102.7FM has assisted him financially, contributing towards the costs of the Keytruda immunotherapy, hospitalisations, and support therapy, all whilst on full pay.
“He remains a South African broadcast icon, and it was with great sadness that we learned the cancer had spread. Our thoughts are with him and his two sons, Mark and Matthew,” said HOT 102.7FM Managing Director, Lloyd Madurai, in the statement.
Police ‘get involved’ as Uber responds to alleged rape threat against Anele Mdoda
Download our app
