Lupur wins the race against rare cancer
At 15, Lupur de Bruin has overcome it all and is now a beacon of hope for many with his heartwarming story of his life.
Despite not having a good chance of keeping his sight, Lupur de Bruin, who has fiercely and bravely fought cancer in recent years, got to ring the bell with his sight still intact on February 20.
Netcare Alberton Hospital’s paediatric oncology unit was packed to capacity with family and loved ones, including hospital staff, who came to show their support during the ringing of the bell.
The ringing of the bell, a long-standing tradition at the oncology unit, mainly signifies the last time a patient will visit the centre for the treatment of their condition.
With hope, perseverance and prayers, the 15-year-old, diagnosed at age five, has completed his journey. He was diagnosed in 2012 with optic nerve glioma, a rare cancer that is typically slow-growing and found in children.
With a T-shirt printed, ‘I did it, I’m done, I got through it and I’m finished’, Lupur said after his diagnosis, during a time when the tumour was not growing, doctors predicted he would be blind within the next two to three years.
“I then went to a school for the blind because no school would accept me until I was completely blind and then help me further. After a while, I went to a normal school. And two years ago, we started chemo treatment because my vision started to drastically deteriorate,” he explained.
After the treatment, he said the tumour started to shrink, which lifted the pressure off his optic nerve, and Lupur’s vision improved again.
Looking forward, he said he still needs to finish chemo and that doctors will continue to conduct tests and monitor his vision.
His proud mother, Leatitia van Staden, said: “It was an amazing feeling to see him ring the bell. It’s a huge accomplishment for him to defeat all the odds. For him to remain positive throughout the treatment was also amazing, and the quality of life he has now will continue until his adulthood.”
A proud Dr Tanya Schickerling, who presented him with a medal of honour, described Lupur as a warrior and said he boldly “defeated the odds”.
As the day proceeded, but before being pampered with treats, he extended his gratitude to hospital staff, his family and loved ones for their continued support.
