‘To save my life I traded my voice box,’ Vanessa Perumal
CRAIGHALL – To save my life I traded my voice box. This is a huge leverage in the work I activate as a media specialist, communications and digital futuristic," said Perumal.
South Africa needs all the encouragement it can get during such a time of unprecedented challenges.
A leading South African communications specialist, social entrepreneur and Craighall Park resident is using her rare cancer to highlight the importance of resilience, community and African excellence during a time of unprecedented challenges for the world.
Vanessa Perumal, the founder of JT Communication Solutions, spent 24 days in hospital, of which 22 days was in Intensive Care Unit and High Care, following a total laryngectomy necessitated by the cancer which was discovered in her larynx just five days before her surgery.
The cancer, known as chondrosarcoma, was removed through a laryngectomy by Doctor Khaleel Ismail, an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon of the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. Ismail assembled a stellar team of medical experts which included an oncologist, vocal oncologist, speech therapist, and allied medical practitioners including a physiotherapist.
Ismail said the location of a chondrosarcoma in the larynx was rare. “Initially Vanessa Perumal was presented to our team as a referral in October with a breathing and voice problem,” said Ismail. “On evaluation, it was clear that there was vocal cord palsy. “What was not clear was why CT scans were equivocal, and direct laryngoscopy showed no lesions in the voice box. So, we decided to do regular scopes and CT while considering other causes. On the repeat scan, which was delayed due to Covid, the tumour became obvious.”
Within the space of just three days, from the diagnosis on 9 May this year and following the results of a biopsy, Perumal and her family, husband Dee’s Harilal and children, Taynita Harilal (23) and Jayaveer Harilal (19), had to confront the removal of her larynx, the portion of your throat that houses your vocal cords, which allow the production of sound, and which connects our nose and mouth to our lungs.
“To save my life I traded my voice box. This is a huge leverage in the work I activate as a media specialist, communications and digital futuristic,” said Perumal.
According to Ismail, discovering the chondrosarcoma and having to perform an emergency total laryngectomy in less than a week gave them the opportunity to learn and discover ways to innovate and find solutions as a team of professionals. Showcasing the excellence of a medical team in Africa treating a rare cancer, is part of why Perumal is sharing her experience through her Miraculous Moments diary on Facebook. She also wanted to highlight the work of the healthcare workers whom she encountered and contribute to the training of nurses who had not encountered a cancer such as hers before.
Perumal said, “Covid-19 is shining a spotlight on the unrecognised champions of our society, the nurses, medical teams, and cleaning staff who are among the most marginalised working sector in any society. My experience in hospital was very hard at times, and I realised that a caregiver who is disempowered and doesn’t have the training to do the work patients need tells a very different story on the ground.”
Details: Follow Vanessa Perumal’s experience on her Miraculous Moments diary on Facebook
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