Warriors with a Purpose visit cancer patients at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
The World Health Organisation's theme for this year is 'Together, we challenge those in power'.
NGO Warriors with a Purpose shines the light on cancer at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital to commemorate World Cancer Day observed on February 4.
Speaking at the adult oncology ward on February 5, the NGO’s founder, Renee Singh, said the warriors aimed to create awareness, education, and support for the young and old fighting cancer.
“Yesterday, was World Cancer Day, which marked the day of our fighters. Today, we are at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital where we are reaching out to adult and children oncology in support of their cancer battle and want to create a message of hope for people fighting different types of cancers.”
According to the World Health Organisation’s regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, between 2022 and 2024, the focus of World Cancer Day was to help ‘close the cancer gap’.
“This year marks the third and final year of the campaign. The theme for this year is ‘Together, we challenge those in power’. This theme encompasses the global demand for leaders to prioritise and invest in cancer prevention and care and to do more to achieve a just and cancer-free world.”
Moeti added that approximately 50% of new cancer cases in adults in Africa are due to breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal, and liver cancers. “If urgent measures are not taken, cancer mortality in the region is projected to reach about one million deaths per year by 2030. Also, in 20 years, cancer death rates in Africa will overtake the global average of 30%.”
A mother to a six-year-old girl, Vanessa Raman, explained that her daughter was diagnosed last year.
“My daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Her symptoms included intense leg pain to the point where we thought she broke her leg, but the blood tests revealed that she had cancer.”
Another parent to a leukemia patient, Zareen Hartley, said her son responded well to the chemotherapy medication he continuously received.
Hartley added that her son’s side effects include, “Nausea, vomiting, and fever – which are manageable. His cancer diagnosis scared my family, but we are managing it well now.”
A colon cancer patient, Nyembezi Labase, explained that the tough part of his cancer was accepting his colostomy bag as part of his recovery journey.
“After my colon operation, I was switched to a higher dosage of chemotherapy due to the cancer spreading everywhere and given a colostomy bag. The side effects include not having sensation in my hands and sometimes loss of balance.”
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