Cycling fanatic and sports presenter shares his battle with cancer
FOURWAYS- Fourways media personality and philanthropist, Xylon van Eyck, joined other high profile South Africans who have overcome lymphoma in lending support to the I am the voice of Lymphoma campaign.
The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness about the disease..
At 28, Van Eyck has achieved success in his personal and professional life. The former Supersport presenter has worked for big name broadcasting stations such as 5FM, Kaya FM, Algoa FM and a number of other local radio channels. When his doctor broke the news regarding his diagnosis, it seemed impossible. He faced his greatest challenge yet.
While holidaying in Southeast Asia in 2011, Van Eyck fell ill. Assuming it was just a stomach bug, he didn’t give it much thought. He was sent for a scan and two days later he was told he had a lesion in his spleen, and it was most likely cancer.
Van Eyck and his wife were in shock and hoped it was just a big mistake. He underwent surgery to remove a lymph node and was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. The devastating news meant he definitely had an aggressive cancer.
In late January this year, follow up scans showed there were still cancer spots under his one arm and in his spleen. Biopsies confirmed it was still Hodgkins lymphoma, which meant he had to undergo a second round of treatment
Although Van Eyck’s doctor was making him wait three months before declaring him all-clear, he remained hopeful. He realised soon after his diagnosis that a part of dealing with cancer was knowing there would be good days along with the bad, and was continuing to fight his battle with cancer.
“It’s the case of the body follows the mind,” said Van Eyck.
