Silverstar does its bit in the fight against cancer
Two of their staff members who survived their own battles with cancer were also there to volunteer and share their stories
The team from Silverstar was geared with brightly coloured hairspray, a shaver and loads of love and support at their CANSA Shavathon earlier this year.
Teams volunteered earlier in March to shave heads, colour hair and help raise money for the fight against cancer. A very special and somewhat emotional moment was when Abigail Pimenta decided to snip her long locks.
This was Abigail’s second time cutting her hair for CANSA the first time was in 2011 when she was 12, and donated 83 centimetres of her hair. This time around her hair was not that long but she cut off a pretty impressive 37 centimetres to donate to the cause.
Jessica Lingard from Strategic Public Relations said they had a very successful Shavathon after only opening the event to the public for the first time in 2019. A total of 184 people supported them by having their hair shaved or sprayed, and the team raised R16 365, “… which was a significantly higher amount compared to last year,” Jessica said.
She said Silverstar cares about initiatives that their staff are passionate about, and the fight against cancer is very important because some of their staff have been directly affected by the disease; either by fighting it themselves or supporting family or friends battling the disease.
Two of their staff members who survived their own battles with cancer were also there to volunteer and share their stories.
Seitebatso Ditlhoiso was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. She told how paralysed she as a mother of four felt when she heard the news about her diagnosis. Her youngest was only a baby at the time. Today she runs small marathons and plans on living her life to the fullest.
“A small discomfort can turn out to be a huge deal. Seek help as soon as possible,” she advised, adding there is always life after cancer.
Another survivor, Petrovien Turner, was diagnosed shortly after December 2019. She underwent 25 sessions of radiation therapy, six chemotherapy sessions and five sessions of brachytherapy. She said her normal will never be the same, but at least she is still here for her daughter. She also emphasises that early detection is key.”Do not ignore it if you experience any symptoms that cause you any concern, or do not feel normal,” she said, adding that routine checkups are of vital importance.
