Patient Stories Archives

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Nkamo Mpakanyane – Delayed but not denied

August 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

After being assured by an oncologist that she didn’t have cancer, Nkamo Mpakanyane was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma a year later. She reflects on this journey.

Nkamogeleng (Nkamo) Mpakanyane (38) lives in Centurion, Gauteng, and has a 10-year-old son. In December 2023, Nkamo was feeling unwell. She put it down to work-related stress as her commute to work was long. She also had a swollen neck gland which had been there for a year; a doctor said it was a reaction to the COVID vaccine and that it was nothing to worry about. After a long day…

Immunotherapy Zoey Da Silva – 13 going on cancer-free

August 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

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We hear the incredible story of the resilient Zoey Da Silva and how immunotherapy became the breakthrough that gave her family the miracle they needed.

Zoey Da Silva (12) lives in Fourways, Gauteng with her mom, Melissa, and stepdad, Ricky. Her father is Paulo and her stepmom is Sarah. She has two younger siblings. In 2020, Zoey was unusually tired, quite pale, and developed lumps on the sides of her neck. Melissa took her to their GP. “He ordered blood tests which were inconclusive. He ordered more tests and shared them directly with a paediatric oncology…

Patient Stories Burnell Nagaya – The power of now

June 5, 2026 Word for Word Media

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After loss and two cancer diagnoses, Burnell Nagaya is focused solely on the power of now and fully appreciating what the present offers.

Short on time? Listen to the audio version of this article here, or by using your favourite podcast player

Burnell Nagaya (45) lives in Alberton, Gauteng with his life partner, Pragashnie, and his daughter, Annsuri (18). Testicular cancer A year after Burnell’s wife passed away, in October 2021, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He experienced a pain running up from his knee into his groin area, so…

Patient Stories Gavin Lee – My health, my right

April 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

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Gavin Lee recounts the uphill battle of getting his medical scheme to fund his radical cystoprostatectomy.

Gavin Lee (65) lives in Weltevreden Park, Gauteng with his wife. They have two sons and one grandson. In July 2025, Gavin noticed traces of blood in his urine; this prompted him to see his GP. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was done and proved to be elevated and Gavin was referred to an oncologist. Here further imaging was done, and an MRI detected a tumour in his prostate as well as in his bladder. Biopsies were done on both which confirmed two primary cancers: Stage…

Brain Cancer Siré Oosthuizen – Perfectly fine

April 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

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Siré Oosthuizen radiates joy and an uplifting lightness as she explains why she felt perfectly fine when diagnosed with Stage 3 astrocytoma brain cancer.

Siré Oosthuizen (29) lives in Alberton, Gauteng with her husband. The majority of Siré’s primary school years, she suffered with migraines, so she would always have a migraine kit with her to manage them. Thankfully, the migraines stopped during high school. It was in her first year of varsity that she started getting headaches again. At first, she thought it was due to studying and the strain on her eyes, so she went…

Patient Stories Thelma Lomkwane – Reaching contentment

February 3, 2026 Word for Word Media

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Thelma Lomkwane is content with life after colon cancer. She shares her story.

Short on time? Listen to the audio version of this article here, or by using your favourite podcast player

Thelma Lomkwane (59) lives in Soweto, Gauteng with her husband. They have three adult children and two grandchildren. In November 2022, Thelma went for a routine check-up. Her blood count was extremely low, so she was admitted to hospital where she received 10 pints of blood and to find the cause. She underwent scans; bleeding in the colon was…

Cervical Cancer Louise Abrahams – My journey inwards

December 1, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Louise Abrahams shares her cervical cancer journey and how she reignited her mind-body connection.

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

Louise Abrahams lives in Killarney, Gauteng, with her husband and their three children, aged 14, 9, and 7. Louise’s health challenges began in 2016, when a headache was followed by neurological fallout that disrupted her gait, speech, and vision. Investigations found no physical damage to her nervous system. The symptoms were attributed to stress. Louise accepted this as something she needed to push through. Life’s stressors felt unavoidable and…

Pancreatic Cancer Maryke du Toit – Whipple Warrior

October 1, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Despite a severe complication from a nuclear medicine treatment, Maryke du Toit, who has metastatic pancreatic cancer, would have it again if she had the choice.

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

Maryke du Toit (53) lives in Pretoria, Gauteng with her husband. They have three children, aged 28, 25, and 17. In the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, in June 2020, Maryke experienced an intense pain under her rib cage that radiated to her back. Even though she took muscle relaxants and rested, the pain…

Lung Cancer Bessie van Antwerp – Finally on target

October 1, 2025 Word for Word Media

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After eight years of changing treatment regimens to manage Stage 4 lung cancer, Bessie van Antwerp happily reports a major tumour shrinkage thanks to the targeted drug, osimertinib.

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

Bessie van Antwerp (73) lives in Weltevreden Park, Gauteng with her husband, Frans. They have two children and two grandchildren. When Bessie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015, her concern was that it was related to the breast cancer she had been treated for (lumpectomy and radiation) in 1988. The…

Oncology Man Richard Melville – The long wait

August 4, 2025 Word for Word Media

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After four years of waiting for radiation, Richard Melville finally got it through a private-public hospital partnership. He tells us how the delay in treatment has affected his quality of life.

Richard Melville (71) lives in Randburg, Gauteng with his caregiver and spiritual son, Richard Taylor (34). In May 2021, Richard noticed he had slow urinary discharge, so he went to casualty at a private hospital. Various tests were done (prostate-specific antigen level test and digital rectal exam). Since he is a pensioner and doesn’t have medical aid, he was referred to Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH). Richard was admitted…

Multiple myeloma Donald Stewart – Twenty-five years of grace

June 2, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Donald Stewart shares his 25-year journey of living with multiple myeloma, giving all glory to God.

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

Donald Stewart (60) lives in Bedfordview, Gauteng with his wife, Madeleen. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandsons. Diagnosis Donald was diagnosed with Stage 4 multiple myeloma, in July 2000, at the age of 35. This came after a visit to a GP due to an ongoing post-nasal drip and a cough. “I would get an antibiotic and within a few days I…

Ovarian Cancer Jacqui O’Sullivan – Finding strength in community

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Jacqui O’Sullivan shares a glimpse of her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer and how her community is pulling her through.

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

Jacqui O’Sullivan lives in Johannesburg, Gauteng with her husband and two sons. The past five months have been a whirlwind; an unexpected, life-altering journey that I never saw coming. It began with subtle yet persistent symptoms: weight gain, bloating, and pain in my left groin that lingered for 18 months. Like many women, I chalked it up to perimenopause. The pain worsened, and despite two…