Cancer survivor receives star treatment

Mathapelo Mohlake is a very special 12-year-old.

She was diagnosed with a germ cell tumour (GCT) earlier this year and has undergone surgery to remove cancerous tumours. Germ cell tumours can be cancerous or non-cancerous and normally occur inside the ovaries or testis.

The news of Mathapelo’s diagnosis came as a great shock to her mother, Rose. “At first, I was not aware of the problem. She had a very big stomach, like somebody that was pregnant, but she was only 12. When I realised that it was cancer, I felt really bad, but after receiving treatment, she is recovering really well.”

Rose added that Mathapelo is going for check-ups in the next few weeks but the doctors are hopeful that there will be no traces of cancer left. “They caught the cancer early on, so we have been lucky. I am so happy that my daughter can go back to school,” she said.

Mathapelo is glad to be out of the hospital. “The food was very bad. I am happy to go back to school,” she quipped.

Mathapelo was recently treated to a very special day out when the Reach For A Dream Foundation took her on a fun-filled shopping experience to Sandton City, where she got to choose her very own smartphone. Mathapelo was treated like a celebrity, and paparazzi were on the scene to take some snaps of her entering Nelson Mandela Square.

Taryn Seegers, dream co-ordinator for the Reach For A Dream Foundation, accompanied Mathapelo on her outing. “Reach for a Dream [staff] are in hospitals every week. We met Mathapelo in hospital and we decided to make her dream come true.”

Rose would like to thank the Reach For A Dream Foundation and her sister, Flora Rathaga, for all the support they have shown Mathapelo throughout this difficult time.

Details: www.reachforadream.org.za