For the boys Becoming parents
March 20, 2019 Word for Word Media
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Prostate cancer survivor, James Howard, tells us how freezing his sperm before his prostatectomy  allowed him and his fiancĂ©, Gayle de Hoog, to become parents. James (59) and Gayle (41) live in Newlands, Cape Town with their son, Luke (14 months). Gayle is currently pregnant with twins. When James was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2014, he and Gayle had just rekindled their relationship after a 16-year break. Gayle was living in the UK and had come over to SA for a holiday. She arranged to fly back to SA to care for him for a few weeks post treatment. After…

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Breast Cancer Love of a very rare find – David and Beulah Jankelowitz
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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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. Autumn18 10 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,…

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Throat Cancer Throat cancer
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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Dr Johann Kluge explains the shift of clinical presentation of throat cancer. Throat cancer (oropharyngeal carcinoma) refers to cancers developing in a specific subset in the head and neck region (base of tongue (BOT) and tonsils). The most common type of cancer in this region is squamous cell carcinoma, although lymphoma is also encountered. Pre-1990 era vs. 2000-era During the past decades, the clinical presentation changed dramatically, with the ‘pre-1990 era’ being tobacco-related oropharyngeal cancers and the ‘2000-era’ and onwards regarded as human papillomavirus (HPV)-related. In the past two decades, HPV was identified as a direct cause of cancer…

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Cervical Cancer Sisters fight cervical cancer simultaneously
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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It’s hard to imagine that cervical cancer affected the lives of two sisters in the same year, and in very different ways. Sisters, Alrita Groenewald and Tessa Supra, share their rare but moving story. The younger sister Alrita (41) was given less than 30% chance of survival, while her sister  Tessa Supra (46) chose to silently carry the burden of her subsequent diagnosis. Alrita’s cervical cancer diagnosis comes just after giving birth to her third child. In January 2015, Alrita, then six months pregnant, complained to her gynaecologist of excruciating back pain. Prevented from taking strong medication due to…

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Sexuality and cancer The need for intimacy is ageless
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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Sex is a powerful emotional experience and improves general health and well-being. Though, if you’re over the age of 60, sex can present challenges. Nonetheless, it’s possible, with better understanding and an open mind, for couples to have a physically and emotionally fulfilling sex life. Natural changes Naturally, sex might be different  when you’re 70 or 80 than when you’re twenty something. Your body has changed and your sexual functioning might not be the same. On the other hand, as an older adult, you may feel wiser than you were in your youth, and know what works best for…

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Multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month is March; with that Dr Ronwyn van Eeden underlines what type of cancer it is, how it is caused and treated. What is multiple myeloma? Bone marrow is a spongy type material found inside our larger bones, such as the sternum, ribs, skull, hips and the long bones of arms and legs. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cells that are made in our bone marrow. Plasma cells form part of our immune system that is responsible for protecting us against infection and disease. They do this by producing different types of antibodies/immunoglobulins….

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Treatment Being alive – Kate Paterson
March 26, 2018 Word for Word Media
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Kate Paterson (31) recollects the days of her autologous stem cell transplant and high-dose chemotherapy. The first time I was allowed outside was a Sunday morning. The skeleton staff nurses delivered the results of my 2am blood tests without ceremony. I snuck a peek. My white cell count had been building slowly but fiercely from a flat 0 to a magnificent 1. This meant many things to me. I would be able to see the faces of my family again, no longer hidden behind masks. And, soon, I would be going home. But, at that moment, it meant I…

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