Twenty-two bottles of spray later, and Tzaneen’s residents were gracing Tzaneen Lifestyle Centre with hairdos of all the colours of the rainbow on Saturday.
LETABA HERALD were honoured to be part of the CANSA Shavathon that was hosted by Seeff Tzaneen.
It was moving to hear how cancer has affected so many people on a personal level in our area.
Local resident Sanet Erasmus told the HERALD that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2016 and lost her hair in the first week after receiving chemotherapy treatment. Her last treatments were in March 2017 and she is since been given the “all clear”.
Read: Chopping the locks for cancer
Another local, Jacqueline Allan shared her story with the HERALD. Seven years ago, Jacqueline’s mother braved the shave and cut all of her hair off for a cancer charity. Soon after, Jacqueline herself donated her pony tail to charity. A month later, Jacqueline was diagnosed with breast cancer and within six months, her mother was also diagnosed with the same disease. Thankfully treatment was successful for both Jacqueline and her mother and they are now clear
Petronella and Linnthi Soyizwaphi, a mother and daughter, donated for the charity and left with heads full of colour. The donation and experience was moving for Petronella as her Uncle’s funeral was being held in Cape Town on Saturday. He had died from colon cancer. She also lost another uncle to lung cancer and an auntie to breast cancer.
Tzaneen local, Júvan Liversage braved the shave, telling the HERALD, “the hair cut was long overdue and it’s for a good cause!”
Another resident, Bess Jennings, exclaimed “I’m a survivor!” whilst having her hair sprayed pink and green. Bess has two disorders that need to be treated with chemotherapy in order to combat the cells responsible for the disorders.
Francois du Toit, Seeff, explained that R4200 was raised on Saturday with one for CANSA but their aim is to reach R25000 by the end of March.
Read: Hair salons in Tzaneen CBD fight for their rights
Further Shavathon events took place at Merensky High School on Tuesday and will be at Meridian College today.
Once the shavathons are over, Seeff will look to local businesses in order to reach their targets.
Want to donate? Contact Francois du Toit on 060 997 5235