This issue’s theme is The echoes of community and what a wonderful community we have in the cancer community. Our hope is that Oncology Buddies is seen as more of a friend that you can rely on than just an educational publication. 

We know many cancer patients find solace when dealing with the CANSA Help Desk so we Meet the faces behind the CANSA Help Desk and hear how this platform is making a positive impact in the cancer community. 

Never in our lives have we seen such exquisite red hair like Genevivé Roxmouth has. The added bonus is her amazing story and the phenomenal human being she is. Read her story in Crown of glory. 

Another story that deserves applause is that of Holding onto hope; thank you Halalisiwe Khumalo for your bravery in sharing such a personal walk with your oncofertility journey. 

Grief is a complicated topic to cover but is a reality; Dr Nelia Drenth tackles Anticipatory grief – to grieve before then end with great success. 

We leave you with the quote from Brian Solis, “Community is about doing something together that makes belonging matter.” 

Hope you enjoy this issue. 

Laurelle Williams
[email protected]

WFWM

OB JuneJuly22

Cover photo by LuciaB Photography | Facebook @luciabphoto

Venue: Studio64

www.studio64.co.za 

IN THIS ISSUE

Sarcoma cancer

Dr Daleen Geldenhuys describes where sarcoma cancer forms in the body, how it can be treated and the likelihood of progression. Sarcomas are different to carcinomas. They arise from a different layer of tissue that can be best understood by knowing the embryological origin of tissues in the body. The trilaminar or three-layered disc (embryo) develops [...]

Sarcoma cancer – Frequently Asked Questions

Living with Cancer, an NGO, launched the first patient led cancer registry in SA and offers support to anyone diagnosed with cancer. It was started by Belinda Wagner, an angiosarcoma survivor. She shares the most frequently asked questions when people are diagnosed with sarcoma cancer.  What is sarcoma cancer?  A rare cancer that grows in [...]

Halalisiwe Khumalo – Holding onto Hope

Halalisiwe Khumalo shares her intimate journey of having two unsuccessful in vitro fertilisation attempts and how she still longs to be a mother. Halalisiwe Khumalo (37) lives in Lephalale, Limpopo with her husband. Hodgkin’s lymphoma In June 2019, Halalisiwe felt a lump in her neck. “It wasn’t painful but it also wasn’t going away so I went to [...]

Meet the faces behind the CANSA Help Desk

We learn more about how the CANSA Help Desk works and the people who run it.  About the CANSA Help Desk Approximately 12 000 queries per year are received across all CANSA platforms. The Help Desk function covers emails received, comments on the website, queries via national and regional Facebook pages and via their three [...]

Genevivé Roxmouth – Crown of glory

With the most magnificent and longest red hair, Genevivé Roxmouth shares her story of finding her crown of glory once diagnosed with synovial sarcoma.

Hospital at Home

We hear how Reona Naidoo (32) recovered in the comfort of her own home with Discovery Health Medical Scheme's (DHMS) new Hospital at Home programme. Ever since Reona Naidoo had her spleen and a kidney removed in 2019, she's been prone to picking up infections and being hospitalised. Luckily, with DHMS new Hospital at Home programme, Reona has [...]

Immunotherapy pseudo progression

Can your tumour get bigger before it gets smaller during treatment? Dr Ronwyn van Eeden explains the pseudo progression phenomenon.  Immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer treatment over the past few years by leading to significant overall survival benefits in patients with advanced cancer. Immunotherapy works by activating the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Unlike conventional therapies, such [...]

Management of bodily fluids during chemotherapy

Lailaa Cajee offers simple safety measures to be incorporated into your daily life to safeguard those around you when managing bodily fluids during chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug that destroys cancer cells but if it comes into contact with someone who doesn’t have cancer, it can be harmful to their healthy cells.  Chemotherapy leaves the body [...]

Anticipatory grief – to grieve before the end

Dr Nelia Drenth helps us navigate the hard path of anticipatory grief. The diagnosis of a life-limiting illness is enough to make most of us shiver with fear and anxiety due to the unknown that is awaiting us. As the illness progresses, we may experience times of hopefulness and hopelessness.  Anticipatory grief can be experienced by both the person at [...]

Preparing children and teenagers for the death of a parent

Ilana Kilian, a social worker, explains that preparing children and teenagers for a death of a parent is a process of honesty where everyone is actively involved. Though we know it's an inevitable part of life, talking about death is something most of us aren't really good at because the subject is so painful. It’s even [...]

Ovarian cysts

Dr Sumayya Ebrahim explains why women get ovarian cysts, how are they treated and if they can become cancerous. Almost all genetic females will have two ovaries that form part of the internal reproductive organs.  Each is situated lower down in the pelvic region of the body. The function of the ovaries is to produce hormones like [...]

The South African Society of Stomates

We learn more about The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) and how they are building the community of ostomates (people who’ve had an ostomy, a surgical operation to create an opening in the body for the discharge of body wastes). Who is SASS?  The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is a non-profit organisation […]

We learn how nutritional support can help manage side effects during cancer treatment.

nutritional support
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RESOURCES

BFL JuneJuly22

The June-July issue’s theme is The echoes of community and what a wonderful community we have in the cancer community. Our hope is that Buddies For Life and Oncology Buddies are seen as friends that you can rely on rather than just educational publications.

cover 2022 BigC

Word For Word Media are proud to present a new navigational concept, The 2022 Big Survivor’s Guide, to assist you, the patient, through the strenuous times and guide you through all the humps and bumps and prepare you with the many questions you need answered. Let’s walk and talk through diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.


Big C Online Directory

We still have The Big C Online Directory to help you find any A-Z listing of all things cancer related.