Young resident speaks about her cancer battles

Many people fear the C-word but for Casey Duvenhage it is a journey she would never forget. As a survivor of ovarian cancer, the 26-year-old spoke to the Randfontein Herald about the challenges and how she managed to beat the deadly disease.

She said that one of the symptoms was pain in the lower abdomen which felt like it originated from her uterus and her menstrual cycle was abnormally heavy. These symptoms started at a very young age. After experiencing unusual pain one evening, she decided to go to a gynaecologist to understand why her stomach hurt so much.

According to Casey, the doctor told her that there was a cyst on one of her ovaries. Afterward, the doctor did a pap smear and gave her pills to shrink the cyst.

However, Casey said that the pills did not shrink the cyst. Instead, she developed severe epilepsy. She was then admitted to a hospital where the doctors noticed that the cyst had grown over one of her ovaries. The next morning she went to the operating theatre and expected the one ovary to be removed. She claimed that before the operation could begin the doctors received a call to immediately stop the surgery because the pap smear results came in.

“A social worker was brought in because I was considered too young to make decisions on the matter. When they told me what the situation was, I was already undergoing chemotherapy because of the many autoimmune diseases I was diagnosed with,” she said.

The pap smear results displayed a form of very high-grade cancer and it could spread to other organs. Doctors suggested that she get a radical hysterectomy to prevent the cancer from spreading.

“I had to sign a form stating that I understand I will not be able to have children. I did not fully comprehend what I was signing. I did not think of the consequences at that moment because I was shocked by the news. At that moment the only thing that mattered was my family. The only motivation you have comes from family and loved ones,” she said.

She also expressed that the matter deeply affected her since losing her child.

“Having the hysterectomy made me realise that I will never be able to bear another child. Having lost my first child only made matters worse. It made me feel guilty in a sense that I will not be able to know what it feels like to be a mother,” she stated.

Nonetheless, Casey advises hope for those who struggle with the same challenges.

“After the operation, I immediately took the theatre gown off and put on comfortable clothes. I sat outside on a chair and stared out in thought. There was a white cross on the opposite side of the road. I asked God to give me a sign that he was wading these waters with me. Subsequently, a white dove came to rest on that cross, and I knew I could not give up hope yet,” she said.

Casey continued to say that cancer has affected her life, not only negatively, but in some aspects positively. Her body is still fragile and she is fighting every day because of immune diseases. She stated that she has been undergoing chemotherapy since the age of 16 and over the years it has weakened her body. She developed a few autoimmune diseases after that.

Although it made her stronger, Casey now faces a new challenge after recently being diagnosed with Leukemia.

“It is your own choice to climb out of the hole that cancer dug for you. It is easy to feel like a burden, but once you decide you are not, that is when real change happens,” she expressed.

Casey’s mother, Cornette Duvenhage, said that it is sad as a mother to know that her child is fighting a battle and you cannot help her win it. Cornette also commented that Casey tries not to be sick and always sees the positive in situations.

“We have to continue praying and take it day by day. There is hope,” Cornette said.