“MY wedding day was the first time in a long time that I looked in the mirror and didn’t see a cancer girl. I saw a bride.”

These are the words of 33-year-old Ilze Botha (nee Steenkamp), who, despite being terminally ill with ovarian cancer, managed to gather strength after her surgery and start walking again two weeks before her wedding on October 12.

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The Amanzimtoti resident who is a school teacher, credits the community’s incredible support for allowing her to fulfil her dream of walking down the aisle to say her ‘I dos’ with her partner, Kyle.

Through various fundraising efforts, such as colour runs, raffles, dance-a-thons, golf days, and restaurant specials, the community helped raise about R75 000 monthly for nearly two years to fund her Lynparza cancer treatment, which kills the reoccurring cancer gene.

“This medication was my last hope of living a ‘normal’ life after first being diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in 2017, and I am so grateful to everyone who contributed in buying me this extra time. Unfortunately, at the end of 2023, my body stopped responding to the medication. It was emotional; I felt like I disappointed the town and myself. However, I refused to give up, telling myself I had to keep fighting, especially with our wedding coming up,” she said.

Her doctor’s words, ‘You’re still writing your story, and there’s still ink left in your pen,’ gave her the encouragement she needed. Despite the setbacks and a serious health scare just six weeks before the wedding, doctors worked tirelessly to ensure she made it to her big day.

“The news that my cancer had spread was devastating; we did not realise how progressive it was. Doctors told me to phone my family so we could discuss medical options. The goal was to just get me to my wedding day as my dream is to die with ‘Mrs Botha’ on my death certificate. The next day, I underwent a bowel bypass. I was so weak and ill, but I garnered the strength to start walking again. Although I was extremely ill at my wedding and had to be carried by the groomsmen, who were so supportive, it was the most magical day of my life,” said an emotional Botha.

At the moment, her husband is overseas for work, however, her mother-in-law, who is a qualified nurse, is taking care of her, alongside her supportive friends and family.

She is hopeful that she will soon be back in the classroom teaching her learners, which she said she was born for.

“I will not give up this fight, and once my body starts to recover, I will start my next dose of chemotherapy,” said Botha.

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