La Lucia cancer Swimathon a great success
The event, which was to raise funds for cancer, saw families and individuals from La Lucia and surroundings come out in their numbers in support of the initiative.
SWIMMING for 30 minutes for cancer was the order of the day at the Swimathon held at Crawford College International La Lucia on December 2.
The event, which was to raise funds for cancer, saw families and individuals from La Lucia and surroundings come out in their numbers in support of the initiative.
Event organiser Lance Fraser said the staggering number of people suffering from cancer is what drove him to raise funds to fight the disease.
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“We are private people just doing our part to raise money for the Cancer Association of South Afice (CANSA). There’s just so many people suffering from cancer. I myself got a scare in 2019, when I underwent a 12-hour surgery because of a tumour I had in between my ears and brain, but it turned out to not be cancerous. I did some research, as well, and in 2020, more people died from cancer than they did from Covid. More than 10 million people worldwide died of cancer.
“It’s expensive to fight cancer, and medical aids run out of money. We want to encourage people to support cancer, to open their hearts and to really help support charities. Our goal is be raising about R250 000 on an annual basis from this Swimathon. From next year, we’ve got a new brand of clothing, so we’re encouraging people who want to swim the Midmar mile as individuals to contact CANSA Active and swim in their colours,” said Lance.
Head of CANSA Active, Sam Chigumbura, said the aim of such events is to promote a healthy lifestyle by encouraging people to participate in active events.
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“In the beginning, we had 15 people swimming the Midmar, and for the first time this coming February, we will have 50 people swimming eight miles for CANSA. We’re opening up to the community – anyone who has already registered to do Midmar and who just want to swim for charity, they must contact me anytime and they can join the movement. CANSA Active is a movement to create awareness through sports.
Sam said the organisation also has a care home, to cater for people who have to travel from afar to receive their cancer treatment.
“In Durban Umbilo, we have a care home – basically we accomodate people who aren’t from Durban but are receiving treatment in Durban. They get four cancer-compliant meals a day, free transportation to and from wherever they’re getting treatment, we have a clinic with a nurse, and all of this is paid with money that we get from the community. In an event like this, we see different schools, different companies and different individuals who come in to give us money to continue running our services.
“Our newest and most impressive service is the toll-free counselling service that was started during Covid. Anyone, whether you’re a patient or a caregiver, can call the counselling service that offers counselling in seven languages. Sometimes, we can even call you back to talk to you about anything that you’re going through, or take you through how to talk to the patient, how to bathe them, what meals to prepare for them, etc,” said Sam.
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