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The makings of a breast cancer warrior
Denise Reddy (58) lives in Kempton Park, Gauteng with her husband. They have two children and one grandson. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2019. A few days before, I woke up due to severe pain in my left breast. As I touched it, a lump was evident. I couldn’t fall back to sleep. The next day I went to a hospice and the nurse examined my breast and referred me for a mammogram. After the sonar and mammogram, a biopsy was done. I tried to remain calm. Four days later, I was told I had breast cancer; this was the worst day of my life. The tumour…
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Lindie Liebenberg – Breast Cancer Survivor
I have always taken good care of myself. I exercised, maintained my weight, never smoked, drank socially, kept my gynae appointments and had mammograms done from age 40 every three years, so I was not likely to be a breast cancer candidate, right? Wrong! In January 2019 taking a shower after a Pilatus class, I felt a golf-ball size lump in my left breast in the upper middle section. Painless, but clearly visible. 7 February 2019 After many tests and scans, I was diagnosed with stage 3 left metastatic breast carcinoma cancer Luminal B HER2 negative, hormone sensitive, estrogen and progesterone positive, aggressive with a KI 86% growth rate. It…
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Martin’s Marathon
Martin Scheeper is running this year’s SANLAM Cape Town Marathon supporting and raising funds for the Filotimo Cancer Project. Martin is an ambassador for Filotimo, a charity he holds very close to his heart. Martin became involved with the charity when his partner Nikki, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Nikki was a Cancer Champion for Filotimo and was an avid campaigner, raising awareness about breast and all cancers. I had the privilege of meeting Nikki once at the Filotimo Charity Run, and I was in awe of despite how ill she was, she showed up with a smile on her face to support others; truly inspiring! Martin is…
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Angelique Lynch – Breast Cancer Survivor
We all have to fight for something in our lives. I have always had a fighting spirit and one of my proudest moments was when I achieved by black belt, 2nd Dan in Karate. I also received my Protea colours multiple times and competed at various World Championships. After working in London, U. K. I landed a job at AutoTrader back in South Africa and at the age of 28, having just been selected to be on the company’s Management Development Programme, I was faced with my toughest fight yet. I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Stage 3 HER2+ Breast Cancer. At that moment my life was…
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Drika Louw – Breast Cancer Survivor
I named my cancer journey the roller coaster as I felt like I was on a roller coaster from the moment it all started. With a roller coaster you have the 4 parts: Being strapped in and waiting (15/05/2017) The climb (26/05/2017) – The longest part of the roller coaster The free fall (26/06/2018) The stopping moment Being strapped in and waiting: The first part of my roller coaster started in the first week of May 2017. Just before my Dad’s 50th birthday. I noticed some small changes and felt a lump in my breast while doing a self-examination. I knew I had a strong family history with…
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Steve Kelly – Breast Cancer Survivor “Everyday is a gift. Live life to the fullest.”
Detection In December 2018 my partner Sandy noticed something unusual in my right breast. There was a lump behind the nipple. The lump was not visible from the outside; however, if you looked carefully, you could see that the nipple was slightly inverted. This was painless, and I did not feel ill. Diagnosis I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Grade 3 Breast Cancer. The lump was a ductal carcinoma, approximately 17mm in diameter, or roughly the size of a marble. This is a common type of breast cancer; the standard international treatment protocols apply. Surgery I had surgery the following week, as the primary treatment. The procedure is known as…
