After a daunting diagnosis of a rare type of lung cancer and the subsequent loss of her job, Chané Coetzee found herself on a challenging journey, seeking assistance from multiple sources.
She can finally say, there is a glimmer of hope.
Chané’s journey began in 2023 when she was misdiagnosed with bronchitis, only to discover she had lymphoepithelial carcinoma. Lymphoepithelial carcinoma is a rare type of lung cancer. She underwent unsuccessful chemotherapy, and they found that she had a ROS1 genetic mutation and had to do a targeted treatment. Despite that, Chane faced another setback in July, and she is still fighting.
Speaking to the Roodepoort Record, she says this was the most shocking time of her life and she was working from home because she cannot be exposed to germs, especially during these cold winter months. She says during this process she lost her job and her means to pay her medical aid and her monthly expenses, and that’s when she started knocking on different doors.
“Losing my job has been very difficult, both financially and mentally. It has been one of the major setbacks in my journey and has been a very stressful process. I am still trying to come to terms with it after so many years of dedication to my profession. The bills have also been overwhelming and keep increasing with every hospitalisation, aside from the treatment costs.
“My family and friends have been extremely supportive, and we started a BackaBuddy page, which received an overwhelmingly positive response. So many people donated; it was so unexpected. The fundraiser was amazing and helped me settle all of my medical bills at the time.”.
As she navigated through her fundraising journey, she received a helping hand from the Good Morning Angels from Jacaranda FM, and they made a significant donation towards her medical bills, alleviating some of the financial burdens.
“Not only did they make an incredibly generous donation towards my medical bills, but they invited business owners to get in touch with me for any work opportunities after learning about me losing my job,” she said.
Currently, Chané is inviting the greater community of Roodepoort for a family-friendly event called Breath of Hope Fest, set to take place on August 24 at Khosa Sports Club in Krugersdorp. Tickets are available at the door or on Quicket.co.za under Breath of Hope Fest 2024.
