Collaboration creates awareness of lymphoma

L - R: Xylon van Eyck, Ndalo Hlatshwayo, Big Brother 2-housemate Ilse-Mari Hodgskiss, Ingrid Krul (The Sunflower Fund), Nicci Blignaut (Campaigning for Cancer), Francois Peenz (CEO of CHOC), Tanya Bennetts [Roche Products (Pty) Ltd], Kagiso Nkuna, Morongoa Mamabola, ’95 Springbok rugby player Chris Rossouw.

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A number of survivors from across the country attended the breakfast, sharing their lymphoma stories. Joining them were the 'I am the voice of lymphoma' ambassadors - media personality Xylon van Eyck, Ilse-Mari Hodgskiss of Big Brother SA fame and 1995 World Cup rugby legend, Chris Rossouw.

Armed with information

Discussions were centred on the importance of a positive attitude when faced with a cancer diagnosis. Informing yourself and those around you of what lymphoma is and how it affects you is the first step to effectively fighting this sort of cancer. The next step is knowing your treatment options.

"The first instinct when you get the news that you have cancer is 'I am going to die!' I initially went into shock and cried my eyes out. But then I pulled myself together," says Ilse-Mari Hodgskiss, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in February 2008, just two weeks after she got engaged.

"When I was in chemo, the amount of people who didn't know anything about their disease - the very thing that could kill them - was frightening. People should go and do research. Get informed. This will help you make the best treatment decision," Ilse-Mari stresses to the audience.

Xylon van Eyck, the keynote speaker, was also met with a badly-timed diagnosis. "Life was going well. I had a good career, I was one of the youngest music compilers on 5fm, married the girl of my dreams and was on my honeymoon when I first fell ill." Van Eyck started his first chemotherapy treatments in 2012 and relapsed in January 2013. Despite this, he stepped up to the challenge and fought with everything he had. He has since been given the all-clear.

Van Eyck is a big advocator for optimism: "Life is beautiful. It doesn't end with cancer. You pick yourself up, push through the pain and the tough stuff because all the good things in your life will come up again."

Doctor's approach

Dr. Devan Moodley from the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Johannesburg has been a strong supporter of the campaign since its inception, he has a very straight forward approach.

"This disease is treatable. But patients have to deal with the emotional shock of the diagnosis. Every time the cancer returns, the patient goes through another rollercoaster ride. The art of being an oncologist is trying to get patients through this. To get them to pitch up for their treatment. To fight," he tells the audience.

"What can we an individual do? Know the signs and symptoms. Help create awareness about this little-known cancer," he says.

Millions of people worldwide live with lymphoma and nearly 1000 new cases are diagnosed every day. Yet patient stories gathered worldwide from people of every age show that late and misdiagnosis is still a major issue.

World Lymphoma Awareness Day

This is why World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) was started. This event takes place across the globe on 15 September every year to inform the public about the early warning signs and symptoms of lymphoma.

In an effort to inform the South African public about this disease, the 'I am the voice of lymphoma' initiative was formed. This campaign takes place annually in order to commemorate lymphoma survivors and spread the word about this disease during WLAD.

I am the voice of lymphoma

'I am the voice of lymphoma' is a collaborative initiative between a number of local organisations, including CHOC, The Sunflower Fund, The Faces of Hope Foundation, Campaigning for Cancer, the KZN Lymphoma Support Group and Roche, with the support of the Lymphoma Coalition, the global body responsible for World Lymphoma Awareness Day. The key objective of this initiative is to raise awareness but it was also to discuss the importance of establishing an official voice for lymphoma in South Africa.