Helping others helps Sam remain positive

SECUNDA – One of the best ways to stay positive when you fight cancer, is to focus on helping others.

Ms Samantha Byrne (29), a founding member of LEGIT-Hope, an organisation set on providing the homeless in Secunda with a hearty home cooked meal every Thursday, sincerely believes this.

She is currently receiving radiation treatment for breast cancer.

“I believe that if I am going to sit back and be negative, it is going to be worse for me, my friends and my family. It is not going to get me anywhere.

“I try and help other people by being positive and telling my story – hopefully somewhere it helps at least one person. Cancer is not always a death sentence.”

Ms Byrne has already had two operations and eight chemo sessions. She is currently receiving radiation for six weeks in Johannesburg.

She is taking this one step at a time.

“I am staying positive and keeping my faith high. LEGIT-Hope is an ongoing thing and comes naturally.

“We are the most amazing team. I stay positive by reminding myself that every day is one less treatment and one step closer to this chapter of my life being over.”

Several major developments in this health and safety officer’s life have in fact happened from the time she was diagnosed a year ago.

Besides getting LEGIT-Hope up and running, she also married Ms Tanya Byrne in October last year and the couple are expecting their first child.

“Tanya is 20 weeks pregnant. I have always dreamed of having children. They are such a blessing.

“I am extremely excited about the baby and I have my wife and baby on my mind every second of every day.

“That motivates me. I have to finish this to be able to spend the rest of my life with them.”

Asked about how they and their loved ones are dealing with their same sex marriage, Ms Byrne explained that her family and friends are very accepting.

“They love Tanya very much. She just fits in perfectly. To us the decision to get married was an easy one as we knew from the start we were going to spend our lives together.”

Ms Byrne said it is very important for a cancer patient to have a strong support structure to help you cope.

“I have the most amazing support structure that any person can ask for. If it had not been for all the people in my life, I would not have been this positive.

“I think I would have quit half way through this journey.

“So to all of them I would like to say thank you for always being there and helping me through this, especially my wife for helping me through my worst time and for this amazing gift you are giving us.

“And my dad, James Byrne. He is one of the biggest reasons why I am where I am. He was there by my side every step of the way and left everything on number 99 when I needed him.”

Ms Byrne believes in being yourself. “Be the person you want to be. I keep my faith strong and ask God every day to guide me to be the person He wants me to be.”

Her future plans are to finish her treatment, be healthy again and live her life to the fullest. “I want to spend time with my friends and family.”

https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/117698/legit-hope-feeds-more-on-each-run/