Is she faking cancer for fame?

Respected Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athlete Dr Santa Marie Venter has accused amateur boxer, Lisa van Loggerenberg of faking breast cancer to gain popularity and money.

Venter released a press statement on 22 October stating the 22-year-old East Rand woman “successfully duped a caring community into thinking she has been suffering from terminal cancer for the past year”.

Diagnosed with terminal breast cancer

Van Loggerenberg, nicknamed “The Pink Gladiator”, was allegedly diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in August this year after she allegedly survived Stage 3 cancer in 2013. No record was provided of this diagnosis.

On 24 August, Van Loggerenberg wrote on her “Pink Gladiator” Facebook page:

Fundraising for cancer

Since her alleged diagnosis in 2013, Van Loggerenberg has initiated a few cancer fundraising campaigns for Little Fighters Cancer Trust, including a celebrity boxing match.

Together with her manager, sponsor and the owner of SALE clothing Zach Midlane, Van Loggernberg has also raised funds by selling “Pink Gladiator” logo printed merchandise with promise that proceeds would be donated to the Little Fighters Cancer Trust. However, it would appear that no record of merchanchise sales have been provided to Little Fighters and the amount recieved by “Pink Gladiator” through community donations and purchases is unclear. However, an amount of R3 000 was recieved in a closed envelope from “Pink Gladiator”.

According to a statement made by the Little Fighters Cancer Trust, Van Loggernberg had made donations to the trust, however, she was not an official representative for the trust. The trust demanded their organisation’s name be removed from the press statement released by Venter which suggests some kind of partnership between the organisation and Van Loggernberg.

Faking for money and fame?

In an interview with City Buzz, Venter said she and other MMA members had been suspicious of Van Loggerenberg after she took part in a boxing match only a few days after she said she had received chemotherapy in August.

“It is very easy to fool the novice when no intricate medical knowledge about a disease like breast cancer exists”, she said.

Venter said suspicion grew when van Loggerenberg, who is battling Stage 4 cancer, announced on her Facebook page that she would be heading to Cape Town for heart surgery.

Venter said Midlane admitted to dropping her off at the hospital after midnight for her surgery the next morning. “She was to be treated at Vincent Pallotti Hospital by Dr. Elwyn Lloyd,” said Venter.

“You cannot admit a Stage 4 cancer patient six hours before surgery. The patient would have to be seen by a team of doctors, oncologists, physicians, cardiologists, anaesthetists, cardio-thoracic and general surgeons and she would have to undergo pre-operative blood tests, lung functions and an ECG,” said Venter.

Allegations denied

Van Loggernberg’s mother, Sonia, has denied allegations that her daughter is faking cancer and assured City Buzz that her daughter had gone to Cape Town for heart surgery.

Despite receving confimation from Venter regarding the doctor’s name and hospital, Sonia was unable to give City Buzz the name of the hospital her daughter was admitted to, stating that because they had no medical aid, she could not reveal the name of the doctor who performed the surgery as she feared it would get “him” into trouble.

“There is no record of my daughter being at the hospital because she is being treated as an out-patient. Dr Lloyd was initially going to perform the surgery, but pulled out last minute because of all these people calling him and asking him questions,” she said.

However, Venter denied having contacted the doctor before 16 October and stated she only made her first communication attempt was after the day of the alleged surgery.

“She [Van Loggernberg] is on her way back to Johannesburg right now [after her heart surgery on 16 October] and we will be taking legal action against the people who started, and spread, these rumours.”

When contacted on 24 October to follow-up on the phone call from the doctor, Sonia SMS’d City Buzz reporter saying, “Good day. We are currently busy with our lawyers and our attorneys have instructed us not to discuss anything with the press at this stage”.

No evidence to validate information

City Buzz contacted Dr. Lloyd who denied knowing Van Loggernberg or having ever been involved in plans to perform the surgery or treating her as an out-patient.

Sonia refused to give City Buzz the name or contact details Van Loggernberg’s oncologist stating he was in a “conference this week” and he would ask him to contact the reporter as soon as he could, but this never happened.

Van Loggernberg had allegedly received chemotherapy from Charlotte Maxeke Hospital [the former Johannesburg General Hospital] but upon investigation no record of her having been treated at the hospital’s oncology ward was provided.

The hospitals public relations officer, Lungiswa Mvuvu said, “This does not necessarily mean she was not treated at our hospital. Her file could be with her clinic or doctor, but we just do not have her on our hospital records.”

Ongoing Investigation

City Buzz has approached Sonia to verify her daughter’s illness, exonerating her from Venter’s accusations. Unfortunately Sonia has not been able to provide documentation or contact details of the doctor’s treating her daughter.

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