May 31, 2023 Word for Word Media

We hear how married couple, Norberto and Ana Costa, faced three cancer diagnoses without medical aid, with their love and sense of humour carrying them through.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Norberto (65) and Ana Costa (59) live in Edenvale, Gauteng. They have two sons and one grandson. They have been married for 41 years. When Norberto and Ana moved to South Africa in 1994, they were on a medical aid. However due to the medical aid refusing to pay for Ana’s tubal ligation (fallopian tubes are cut to permanently prevent pregnancy), stating it was…

October 1, 2021 Word for Word Media

The road to the best breast cancer outcomes is paved with information, multi-disciplinary care and personalised oncology. You can’t change the diagnosis, but you can control how you manage the journey. Sysmex is proud to bring you the first breast cancer patient journey to help you navigate through it. Click here to download a PDF of the breast cancer patient journey.

July 29, 2020 Word for Word Media

Di Christophers tells us about starting a new business, Beauty and Blessings, after surviving breast cancer. Di Christophers (57) stays in Johannesburg, Gauteng. She is divorced and has two adult children and two grandchildren. Why did you start Beauty and Blessings?  It was due to a traumatic experience I had whilst trying to buy headwear when I lost my hair. I was diagnosed with HER2-negative breast cancer in June 2018.  It was a very daunting experience. I was feeling overwhelmed at firstly losing my hair and secondly wearing headwear is not the norm for me, even in winter. I realised if I felt so overwhelmed, there…

March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
We speak to married couple, David and Beulah Jankelowitz, about how their marriage survived a breast- and a prostate cancer diagnosis, and after 54 years is still going strong. David (79) and Beulah (76) Jankelowitz live in Krugersdorp, Gauteng. They have three children and six grandchildren and will celebrate their emerald (55 years) wedding anniversary this July. Beulah’s breast cancer It is hard to fathom that when  Beulah was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in 1987, at the age of    45, she never knew a thing about the disease. Thirty-one years later, she is a walking breast cancer…

December 1, 2017 Word for Word Media
Lauren Segal, four-time cancer survivor and author of Cancer: A Love Story speaks about her different diagnoses – breast and skin – and how her daughter, Katya, played a role is her journey. Lauren Segal (51) lives in Parkview with her husband, Jonny, and daughter, Katya (17). Her son, Josh, is currently studying abroad. Four cancer diagnoses It’s not often you come across a four-time cancer survivor, yet here Lauren is. The first diagnosis, a malignant melanoma on her thigh, was discovered at the age of 23 in 1989. The mole was surgically removed. Fast-forward to 2011 when a ductal…

February 2, 2017 Word for Word Media

Photos by Chantal Drummond Photography | info@chantaldphoto.co.za | www.chantaldphoto.co.za

To celebrate her 10th year of being cancer-free this year, Zelka Spoja-Vieira is throwing a survivor themed party. She outwitted breast cancer, outlasted cervical cancer and outplayed everything life has thrown at her. The mother of two shares her story with us.

Zelka Spoja-Vieira (43) lives in Constantia Kloof, JHB. She is in the process of a divorce. She has two sons, aged 14 and 11.

At the age of 33, Zelka was going about her wife duties – cleaning house…

January 27, 2017 Word for Word Media

0nly 10-15% of cancers can be attributed to an inherited genetic abnormality. Epigenetics is where we should be focusing our attention to prevent the rest of the cancers we diagnose.

So what is Epigenetics?  “The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. Epigenetics has transformed the way we think about genomes.” We have no control over the genes we are born with (yet!), but we can make choices that can modify “bad genes or SNP’s” (Single Nucleotide Polypeptides). In a patient…