September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the stories of three children who faced cancer and fought it with everything they have are being featured in the Brakpan Herald.

Brakpan resident Lieben van Zijl (9), who attends Muriel Brand School, conquered Immature Intracranial Teratoma (IIT), an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Born perfectly healthy in 2017, Lieben’s life changed when he started suffering from headaches and vomiting. He spent 55 days in the PICU, and countless more in the paediatric general ward.

He survived seven brain surgeries, three of which were biopsies, eight cycles of chemotherapy, 30 sessions of radiation five days a week for six weeks, and blood and platelet transfusions.

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He has weekly occupational, physio, and speech therapy, regular ophthalmologist, audiologist, and specialist psychiatric visits, and screenings for any sign of the cancer returning.

The third of his biopsies, also the last surgery, took nine hours and had only a 35% chance of survival. The result was brain damage, but a mostly healthy, perfectly happy little boy who is now three years in remission.

IIT is a rare type of cancer. It grew in Lieben’s brainstem next to the pineal gland, an area responsible for breathing, consciousness, regulating blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep cycles, and containing a collection of critical white and grey matter.

“But here I am. I not only survived, but I also have minimal brain damage, and I am a walking, talking little warrior of a God of miracles,” said his mother, Leandri van Zijl, on his behalf.

Though the brain damage is minimal, Lieben has no depth perception, has short-term memory loss, balance issues, and slowed cognitive processing and speech.

“We celebrate each small victory. We are keeping the faith and praising God for bringing us this far.

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“We will never stop fighting, never stop believing, and always remember that our God is greater than the giants we face,” Leandri said.

Lieben, like JP Bruwer, whose story appeared in the September 4 edition of the Herald, and Delarize Stevenson, whose story will appear in the next edition, are part of a campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

They are also all beneficiaries of Cupcakes of Hope, and their mothers are working together this year to organise the Mall@Carnival event for National Cupcake Day, where cupcakes are sold to raise funds for other Cupcake Heroes who need help fighting their giants.

National Cupcake Day will take place on September 26, and members of the public can support the drive by buying cupcakes on the day or baking a dozen or two and donating them to be sold. Anyone who wishes to pledge cupcakes for National Cupcake Day can contact Leandri on 066 471 2534.