“My greatest fear is that I will wake up and not recognise my children.”

These are the chilling words of Rynfield’s Juanita Smuts, following a shocking cancer diagnosis.

“Doctors say that if I do not receive urgent treatment, I only have four months to live,” she said, her eyes welling with tears.

“I never imagined my life would change in an instant.”

On July 16, while on a video call with her husband, Marco, who works abroad, the 40-year-old’s body collapsed onto the bed, as a seizure raged through every fibre.

Panicked, Marco phoned one of their five children to check on Juanita.

Unresponsive, two of the Smuts children raced their mom to Netcare Linnmed, where she suffered another two seizures.

An MRI found that Juanita had a metastatic melanoma, an aggressive form of cancer that had spread to her brain.

Unaware, she underwent emergency surgery and most of the mass was removed; however, it had already spread like a spider’s web into her brain.

Intensive chemo and radiation therapy are required, while Gamma Knife treatment, a specialised non-invasive stereotactic radiosurgery that uses hundreds of precise gamma ray beams to treat, amongst others, brain tumours, is advised for the best possible results.

The treatment, however, comes at a hefty price.

“I lost six days of my life,” said Juanita.

“I woke up in hospital five days after surgery with no recollection of what happened. In the days leading up to the initial seizure, I had been battling with severe migraines and feeling off-balance.

“I don’t suffer with headaches, but not once did I think it could be a brain tumour!”

Sitting in her lounge, recounting the moment her life came crashing down, Juanita is once again overcome with emotion.

“I pride myself in being a homemaker. The kitchen is my playground. I would bake twice a week and spoil my family with home-made meals,” she said.

“I am not one to sit idle. Due to the medication, I lack energy. Waking up to do Bible study is difficult, but I am afraid if I allow myself to rest I will never wake up again.

“My heart is broken. My family’s faces are etched with concern; I am the one who should be looking after them, not the other way around.”

Steeling herself and flashing a smile, Juanita gushed about the dreams she has for her three sons and two daughters.

“I often think about helping my daughters pick their wedding dresses, dancing with my sons and chasing grandchildren around our home. These may only remain dreams,” she said.

With finances pinching and medical aid exclusions threatening to derail payment of life-saving treatment, Juanita’s fiery personality shines through.

“I am someone who will do anything in my power to help others; I do not accept help well,” she said.

“A BackaBuddy campaign has been established to my benefit, and people have been incredibly generous.

“I appreciate it so much, but it’s difficult to be on the receiving end of assistance.”

Of the journey and challenges ahead, Juanita says she is donning the armour of God.

“I am not ready to give up. I am not surrendering; I believe through God’s grace I will beat this,” she said.

“I face every day with appreciation and a smile.

“Fighting is my only choice. I’m doing it to step into the future with my children and husband.”

Citing short-term memory loss as one of the most prevailing symptoms of the disease, Juanita closed with sage advice.

“Don’t ignore symptoms that seem out of the ordinary. If you don’t make the time to listen to your body, it will shout and scream until you do,” she said.

Anyone willing to assist the Smuts family in their effort to secure the treatment that their matriarch desperately needs, go to https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-save-juanita-a-wife-mom-and-fighter

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