Tembisa foundation visit cancer patients at Kalafong hospital
"I go to the hospital on my birthday is because seven years ago God healed me from breast cancer and I found it appropriate to thank him by giving back to the cancer-affected community."
Cancer patients at the Kalafong oncology ward got a pleasant surprise last week Friday when the Kutwadi Foundation visited them to hand out cupcakes, gifts and words of hope and encouragement.
Eugene Lebogang Lesufi, the founder of the organisation, said that they usually visited the hospital twice a year, namely on her birthday and in October.
“The reason I go to the hospital on my birthday is because seven years ago God healed me from breast cancer. I found it appropriate to thank him by giving back to the cancer-affected community because I’ve been in their shoes,” said Lesufi.
“The foundation was mostly started because of my life experiences. I saw the pain I went through and didn’t want people to be where I was. I was also in an abusive marriage for 12 years, filed for a divorce, and then later on I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I went through chemotherapy for six months. I was on Tamoxifen for five years, which is a hormone pill; therapy used to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.”
Lesufi finished the treatment last year.
“I want to give love and hope to oncology patients because I understand what they are going through.”
Lesufi said hospitals in Tembisa don’t have oncology wards.
“Patients are referred to Steve Biko Hospital for treatment. I have a good working relationship with them as someone is assisting us from there.”
She said that the Kutwadi Foundation does not only focus on cancer patients but is an NPO that assists people in abusive relationships, raising awareness on GBV, educating the public about the early detection of cancer and mostly giving support to people fighting cancer.
“The patients were very happy to see us,” Lesufi said.
She concluded that “early detection saves lives, it’s better to be early than sorry. People should make a habit of checking their bodies”.
“Know your body so that when you see or feel that something is wrong or unusual that you can go to the doctor immediately.”
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