School salutes learners for beating cancer

The ringing bell at Laerskool Stephanus Roos signified a victory on September 16 as Jaco Engelbrecht (8) and Johan Fourie (12) marked the end of their chemotherapy treatment.

Emotions rose to on an all-time high as the boys drove on to the school premises, and were welcomed by learners and parents who came together not only to celebrate the battle won, but to shine a light on the importance of supporting those in need.

Johan started his journey in July 2019 after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

“When we heard of his diagnosis, it was an unreal experience as there were no signs when we took him to the hospital for leg pain and after a few tests, the results showed that he had leukaemia and he was kept in the hospital for a week,” said his mother Corné.

“We had to share the news with him and we used a famous wrestler who was diagnosed with the same cancer as a reference and told him that just as the wrestler fought through his battle so will he and that is when he started treatment at the age of nine.”

Johan said the treatment was aggressive and the worst was when he started losing his hair due.

“On the day that I had to shave his head really hit home for me but his father was so supportive and shaved his head as well.

“In August 2019 his health deteriorated and his heart stopped beating, he was placed in the intensive care unit for 43 days and at one point he had 16 different drips in his body.”

During the ceremony held at the school, Johan read a letter to his sister to tell her that he felt her presence every time she came into the hospital to rub his stomach.

“We were so relieved as a family now that he is in remission as this took a huge toll on the family, especially his sister who received therapy to deal with it,” Corné said.

“Now all I hear in my house is siblings fighting. My son has changed due to the experience – he is more mature now and is conscious of what he does.”

Through the journey, the family held fundraisers and received assistance from multiple organisations to cover the cost of the treatment as it was costly.

“Nobody is prepared for the financial costs of this sort of treatment and I am grateful to everyone who assisted us throughout the experience,” she said.

Jaco Engelbrecht was only seven even though he was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma – a rare but highly aggressive fast-growing B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma – and immediately started chemotherapy.

After intense treatment, doctors confirmed that the tumour was gone by October 2021 and in December he had his last round of treatment.

The eight-year-old learner said that he would like to fix machines when he grows up just as he had watched his dad do.

“I am very happy to be back at school and when I am done, I will work like my father.”

Tania Schoeman from the school’s marketing team said that they hosted the event to make a small difference in the community.

Learners were encouraged to donate anything the could to a children’s home, old age home and animal shelter.

“It has been an emotional journey for the school as we empathised with the parents but we also wanted to show the children that giving love is more rewarding than receiving it,” she said.

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