Cancer didn’t stop Nomsa from living her dream
Nomsa Tshingowe (27) from Mulima Village outside Polokwane was diagnosed with stage 3 Osteosarcoma cancer (cancer of the bone) in October 2014 at the age of 23.
POLOKWANE- According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is the “name given to a collection of related diseases. In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues.”
They explain that cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of cells.
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This disease does not discriminate between age, race, gender or culture and although at times people regard it as a death sentence, various treatments are available and there are ample survivors that can stand testimony with their inspirational journey in overcoming this dreaded disease.
Nomsa Tshingowe (27) from Mulima Village outside Polokwane is one such survivor.
Nomsa didn’t allow her diagnosis to stop her dream of becoming a social worker and in 2013 she graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor Degree in Social Work and is currently working as a Social Worker.
However, she says the journey of overcoming the big C was extremely tough and difficult.
“After the diagnosis was made, I thought that my life was over and at times I wished that I would wake up and it was all just an awful nightmare. After my first session of 18 chemotherapy cycles I realised there’s no turning back, this was followed by endless blood transfusion, blood tests, scans and extreme pain all over.
After creating the Facebook page called Cancer 0 Thirty 5 in order to raise cancer awareness, I realised that there seems to be a great lack of knowledge regarding the disease especially amongst people living in rural areas. When I first started my therapy, I also didn’t know anything about cancer, not to mention how it is treated. There are so many lives that could have been saved from this illness, had they only been diagnosed earlier and received treatment.”
According to Christopher Combrink from CANSA, it is of great concern to them that there are still a lack of understanding and knowledge regarding cancer.
“We strive to provide as much information to as many people as possible and there are various campaigns that we launch with the purpose of educating people.”
Early detection is of paramount importance seeing that the earlier that cancer is detected the better chance there is of recovery.
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Nomsa explained that she is passionate about creating awareness and aims to launch a cancer awareness campaign in her village in the hopes of encouraging activities which reduce the risk of cancer.
“I want to educate people about the different types of Cancers, warning signs, as well as the stages of cancer, because this information could save someone’s life. I strive to create stigma free society enabling cancer survivors to enjoy life without the fear of being stigmatised. My message to all affected by cancer is that God made us with purpose and regardless of the challenges one might face due to this illness there is life after it if you rely on your faith you can go far.”
