Two-times cancer survivor battles the disease again
A 23-year-old Brakpan resident who has survived cancer twice, is optimistic he will overcome the disease for a third time.
Carson Stewart, from Dalpark, is currently recovering at his Shaw Road home, after a massive tumour was removed from his stomach.
This is the young man’s third bout with the serious illness and he will undergo more chemotherapy treatment once he has fully recovered from the surgery.
“It’s quite degrading, you know…three times; I mean you want to proceed with your life and you feel like you’re making progress, but it just puts you in your place,” he said.
“You’re just not able to do want you want to do.”
Carson was 16 years old and a pupil at Hoërskool Hans Moore, in Benoni, when cancer was detected in his bones.
The then-teenager — who loved swimming and excelled on the rugby field and athletics track — was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, Osteocarcoma.
A tumour on his right knee resulted in the loss of the joint, as well as portions of his tibia and fibula (lower leg bones).
After receiving a stainless steel knee implant and undergoing chemotherapy, Carson was eventually given the all-clear.
“It was about eight months from diagnoses to remission and while I took a lot of time off school, I still managed,” he said.
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Four years later, however, another tumour was discovered, this time in Carson’s chest.
At 21 years of age, which is usually an exciting coming-of-age for many youngsters, Carson had chemotherapy and then surgery to remove the mass.
The operation was followed by more chemotherapy.
“And then it came back again, about a year later,” said Carson.
He had plans to move abroad when he started experiencing extreme fatigue and shortness of breath.
A very large tumour was found growing beneath his ribs, putting his travelling ambitions on hold.
“I had radiation and chemotherapy, and then they tried to remove it, but it was too big,” he said.
With the prognosis looking poor, Carson and his family sought a second medical opinion.
“My dad, Ivan, found a different doctor, who actually came out of retirement to do the operation,” said Carson.
The gigantic mass, which weighed 1kg and measured 145mm by 130mm by 90mm, was successfully removed at the Netcare Milpark Hospital, in Johannesburg.
Carson explained that the tumour was growing around a nerve and that doctors also removed two lobes from his right lung, one of his ribs and disabled the right function of his diaphragm.
He was in hospital for only five days and is now recuperating at home, and focusing on getting better.
“You get cabin fever being cooped up in the house for so long, so I like spending time in the garden,” he said.
Carson believes the support he received from his family — dad Ivan and mom Moya, and his siblings Wesley (26), James (28) and Sheena (30), helped him immensely.
“I know it’s been difficult for everyone, especially my parents, but they’ve been so great,” he said.
“I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
Carson told the Herald he was also thankful for the support from his girlfriend, Jacyn Wilmot (23).
As for the future, he would like study and pursue a career in the medical field.
His own circumstances have piqued his interest in medicine.
“The more you learn, the more interesting it gets,” he said.
At such a young age, Carson has some wise advise for those fighting the disease.
“It’s important to remember you’re not alone and you need to rely on your family and friends,” he said.
“There are days where you’re just like, ‘Ok I’m done, I don’t want to do this’, but keep on going.
“You just need a positive frame of mind.”
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