Cancer survivor plans to make most of her life after recovery
"I was spared this horrible disease and I can't thank my friends and community enough."
In 2019, Estelle Holtzhausen got the shock of her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37.
“It came as a major shock to me,” Holtzhausen told Rekord.
“I was very committed to being healthy and keeping fit at the time.”
During her recovery, she was required to have a mastectomy followed by eight months of painful chemo and radiation therapy.
That the entire ordeal took place during the Covid-19 lockdowns made it even more difficult and stressful for her.
A mother of two children, Holtzhausen immediately became concerned about their future.
“They just gave me so much more reason to fight as hard as I could, I was not going to allow them to grow up without a mother.”
During this time, Holtzhausen received a lot of support from friends and members of her community, which she said was instrumental in her recovery.
“My friends and the Elarduspark community really stepped up to the plate.
“They drove my two children to school and back every day and even brought me food.
“I was also moving to another house during this time and they helped me move,” she said.
In September 2020, Holtzhausen received the news that she was cancer-free.
“I was spared this horrible disease and I can’t thank my friends and community enough.”
Holtzhausen is especially grateful for her friend Blair Scheepers who stood by her side through the entire ordeal.
To celebrate her recovery, Scheepers and Holtzhausen took part in the “ILoveBoobies”, a charitable organisation 5km run that aims to provide free breast examinations for women.
“This year’s walk was a massive success with around 180 people taking part,” she said.
“Children as young as three and the elderly took part and it was wonderful to see so many people come together for a good cause.”
Holtzhausen said surviving cancer has completely changed her outlook on life and aims to make every day as special as she can and take better care of herself.
“Surviving cancer made me realise that life is short and that it can be taken away from you at any time, and you need to appreciate every moment you have with your family and friends.
“I also want to encourage every young woman out there to get tested regularly.
“The earlier you detect cancer, the better your results of survival become.”
Holtzhausen recently turned 40 and is determined to make the most of her life after cancer.
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