The importance of supporting cancer patients

Championing women’s health and the importance of community, Zululand specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Jay Moodley reflects on how treating cancer patients inspired her to use her voice to do more.

5 hours ago

Kaylene Louw 3 minutes read

Dr Jay Moodley invites you to this year's cancer fundraiser

Advocate for women’s health and wellness, Zululand’s specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Jay Moodley is gearing up for her annual cancer fundraiser later this month.

Speaking to the ZO, Dr Jay participated in an interactive Q&A, reflecting on how her experience in the Gynaecological Oncology Unit has prompted her to do more.

Q: Reflecting on the success of the annual cancer event, what does it mean to you personally?
A: This cancer fundraiser is very close to my heart because it is about so much more than raising money.
It is about bringing people together around a cause that has touched almost every family in some way.
Having worked with cancer patients and their families, I have seen the fear that comes with a diagnosis, but I have also witnessed incredible courage, love and resilience.
This event gives us an opportunity to stand together and say: You are not alone.
For me personally, it is a way of turning my profession into something that reaches beyond the consulting room. It allows us, as a community, to support organisations that provide essential care, and support patients and their families throughout their cancer journey.

Q: Having led the Gynaecological Oncology Unit at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, what experiences most influenced your approach to caring for cancer patients?
A: It taught me very early that you are never treating just a diagnosis, you are treating a person.
I saw women receiving news that could completely change the course of their lives, and I saw how that diagnosis affected their husbands, children, parents and entire families. It taught me that medicine has to be evidence-based, but it must also be compassionate.
Sometimes the most important thing you can give a patient is not another medical explanation, but time, reassurance, honesty, and the feeling that somebody is walking beside them.
That experience has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to influence how I care for women today.

ALSO READ: The phenomenal Dr Natasha joins cancer fundraiser panel

Q: After walking alongside so many patients and their families, what has cancer taught you about courage, hope and resilience?
A: Cancer has taught me that courage does not mean you are not afraid; courage is taking the next step even when you are afraid.
I have met women who have faced incredibly difficult circumstances with extraordinary strength.
I have seen patients find hope in the smallest things — a good scan, a family member holding their hand, being able to go home, or simply having another day with the people they love.

Community

Q: You have run a free pap smear and cervical cancer screening campaign in Zululand for 12 years. How has the campaign evolved since its inception?
A: When we launched the campaign, the goal was simple: take cervical cancer screening to women rather than expecting every woman to find her way to a specialist practice.
Over the years, it has grown tremendously.
We have screened thousands of women across Zululand, including those who had never had a pap smear before.
What has been particularly rewarding is seeing the campaign become more than a once-off screening day. When we identify abnormalities, we are able to guide women into appropriate follow-up care and colposcopy.
The campaign has also helped us understand the barriers women face — transport, cost, fear, embarrassment, and simply not knowing that screening is necessary.
It has become a community movement around prevention and education.

ALSO READ: Dr Presha to share oncology expertise at cancer event

Up close with Dr Jay

Q: Beyond being a doctor, who is Dr J? Who or what keeps you motivated to keep going?
A: Beyond the white coat, I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend and, like every other woman, someone who is still figuring life out one day at a time!
My family keeps me grounded. My children remind me that life is happening right now, not just in the future when the next project is finished or the next goal is achieved.
I am also motivated by the women I meet every day. Every woman who walks through my door has a story, and being trusted with a small part of that story is a privilege.
And perhaps most importantly, I am motivated by the belief that where you are born should not determine the quality of healthcare you receive.

Fundraiser details

• Date: Saturday, 17 October
• Time: 1pm
• Venue: Covenant Fellowship Church, Richards Bay
• Theme: Feathers and Fine Tea with a touch of Mardi Gras
• Tickets: R250 per person from Dr Jayeshnee Moodley’s rooms at Melomed Hospital, Suite 107
• Contact: Dr Jayeshnee Moodley’s rooms on 035 7721581

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: