Hillcrest cancer warrior appeals for community’s help
The local teen has a Back-a-Buddy page to help raise funds to cover his medical aid shortfall.
HILLCREST teenage and cancer warrior, Ehren Harris has reached out to the Highway community for help to continue his battle with the dreaded disease and reach a sustained cancer-free status.
From being a highly active teenager who enjoyed nothing more than cycling, competing in school sports and the walk home each day from school, Ehren found his life did a complete turnaround when he was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma in October 2018.
“There was a point where I started getting itchy and I would scratch it into sores. The doctors initially diagnosed it as scabies. He tried soaps and creams and admitted they provided short-term relief. It just wasn’t going away. I then felt a hard lump in my groin and it just didn’t feel right. The next day we visited our GP. That’s when the tests began and I was diagnosed,” said the 18-year-old.
While he shed no tears at the news, it was the shock that threatened to overwhelm him.
“It was just the thought of me being so young to have something like this. It wasn’t even about what the cancer would do to me, that I learnt to deal with. It was more about how it affects the people around me and seeing them heartbroken,” said Ehren.
He has since undergone two rounds of intensive chemotherapy, a round of immunotherapy as well as a stem cell transplant. Armed with the knowledge of what would happen to his immune system, there was no other choice but to pull him from school. With countless hours spent in chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Ehren said his schooling had to take a back seat.
ALSO READ: Community helps raise awareness on multiple sclerosis
“Education will come. What I need to do is focus on surviving,” said the determined teen.
He has used this opportunity to become a streamer and YouTuber and has used gaming as a way to escape from life for a few hours each day.
“I used to have long, straight hair and when I lost it, it really affected me. I felt like I lost my identity. I remember looking in the mirror and realising that I am actually going through this, it was hard-hitting. It has been the people who have stood by me through all of this that have given me the strength to push forward,” said Ehren.
Despite the physical and mental toll the treatment takes on his body, Ehren remains upbeat, positive and is determined to beat the cancer. His doting father, John, said his son has begun the second of three cycles of immunotherapy that has been combined with two new types of chemotherapy.
“He is now in stage 4 cancer. Seeing my son in this condition is the worst thing ever. I remember when he was diagnosed and meeting my sister in the car park at the hospital and just falling apart,” he said.
Before Covid-19, John ensured he was at his son’s side during each of his treatments and admitted how tough the journey and subsequent battles with the disease have been.
ALSO READ: Westville Rotarians create solid foundation
“I have been very blessed with the support of my friends and family. To know that my son is going through all of this and not being able to physically do anything to help, it has been hard,” said John.
There is a current shortfall on their medical aid for the new rounds of immunotherapy as well as the chemotherapy. In addition to this, Ehren will need to have a PET scan at the end of the immunotherapy. His medical aid only covers one PET scan per annum, and Ehren had one done in February this year.
“Reaching my target (R51 000) will mean Ehren can complete this treatment and then ascertain if his cancer is in remission or not and if we can proceed with stem cell transplant,” said his doting father.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
