It was with great sadness that we received the news of the death of our oncologist, Dr Hercules Malan, who twice treated my husband for cancer. I say our oncologist because, as a family, we suffer just as much as my partner of 46 years does. In 2008 he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and highly aggressive malignant cancer of the muscle tissue, more prevalent in children, and extremely rare in adults. An operation was followed by radiation, and Dr Malan pronounced him cancer-free, saying that we were fortunate it had not affected his lungs as that would have been fatal.
Dr Malan never pulled his punches or gave us false hope. He was that rare person who never made you feel that time was of the essence to him. He would patiently answer our questions; irrespective of how many we had, and during many appointments would happily reminisce about past events in his life and share personal anecdotes with us.
For 8 wonderful and worry-free years we thought our problems were over until my husband lost 30kg for no apparent reason, was lethargic and started to cough up blood. Again we consulted Dr Malan and X-rays and subsequent CT scans showed a massive malignant tumour in the left lung. He again endured radiation which left him in a weakened state due to its gut-wrenching side effects. Unfortunately, this time around the cancer was discovered too late for the radiation to have any effect and Dr Malan advised us to make the best of the few months we have left together, once again not beating about the bush or mouthing unnecessary platitudes.
Curiosity however, is a human trait, and we were in the process of ascertaining whether it is a new primary cancer, or the return of the Rhabdomyosarcoma, when we heard the tragic news of Dr Malan’s passing. This letter serves firstly as a tribute to a truly caring man who played an important and pivotal role in the lives of a great many people, as my spouse and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. And, secondly, I wish to thank our branch manager and my colleagues for their words of encouragement, much-needed hugs and unstinting love and support during this difficult time.
Kind regards,
Bev Ross
