A strong and independent soldier, Capt. Palesa Mokgosi (34), is busy fighting the hardest battle of her life – her battle with cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in October 2015.
Palesa says, if it wasn’t for her good friend, Portia Kgomi who noticed a lump in her breast, she would have found out too late as the cancer was busy spreading. After x-rays, mammograms and biopsies, she was finally diagnosed with cancer.
Finding out that she had cancer was terrible news.
“I saw death and I was just worried about what would happen to my mum, sister and aunt if I die.”
Palesa helps them emotionally and financially and knew that if she wasn’t there anymore, they would have no-body to depend on.
“It was the worst news ever and I was not fine but, on the day that I found out, I told myself: ‘It’s in my body and I will fight until it leaves’.”
When Palesa was given a few treatment options, she realised that this was not the end – it can be treated.
“In Ikageng, there is a mindset that if you have cancer you are going to die, but it can be cured!” She also believes that there is a reason she was diagnosed with cancer and that God will give her the strength to fight it.
Palesa had her last chemotherapy session on 28 June and is soon beginning with the next step: radiation therapy. When asked if she was afraid, she simply said: “not at all.
If I could beat chemo, the radiation will be nothing to me.”
“Chemo is bad, but I fought back,” she says.
Even though the chemotherapy made her extremely sick, she fought like a soldier, forcing herself to eat and even drive herself to where she wants to be.
“I didn’t sit back and let it ruin me; I showed it who the boss of this body was”. Palesa recently teamed up with an NPO that focuses on cancer awareness, HPSA (Health Professionals South Africa) that consists of a group of young people fighting cancer. They are arranging a march against cancer from Ikageng Stadium to the Trimpark at 12:00 on 12 August.
“It is very important for people to know about cancer, especially in Ikageng. When people here have cancer they hide away and do not talk about it. When they start to get sick and test negative for HIV or other obvious diseases they immediately blame it on witchcraft. People also think cancer means death and that it cannot be cured.”
To create cancer awareness, Palesa is hosting a gala dinner at the town hall on 13 August.
To book your tickets, contact her at 076 420 2513.
“Cancer is a battle that can be won,” she says, “and people need to know about it.”
