099: Elise Fourie - Follicular Thyroid Cancer Survivor - Pretoria, South Africa

For Kevin Jerge, what began as a sore throat in 2013, led to the removal of his tonsils, and that led to a diagnosis of Stage IV head and neck cancer.  Kevin’s oncologist said Kevin didn’t have to undergo chemotherapy but did require radiation treatment to attack cancerous lymph nodes.  He said the regimen made his throat feel like sunburn, pain which lingered months after the conclusion of his treatment.  He also lost his ability to taste.  However, Kevin survived, can once again taste food and beverage and seeks to help others with his book, “Go To Your Happy Place.”

After Mandy Basson’s teenager passed away from Ewing’s Sarcoma, she was inspired to establish a support group for a rare cancer that has at least 175 variations.  This is her story.

Anna Tower-Kovesdi went to an urgent care facility when she noticed bruises on her leg and felt unusually fatigued.  That led to a diagnosis of leukemia.  Thanks to a regimen of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, plus a positive attitude and tireless support from her husband, Anna achieved survivorship.  She goes on long walks and each week makes several trips to the gym.  This is her story.

Harriet Cabelly went to an emergency room because she felt dehydrated; but her visit led to a CT scan, which led to a biopsy, which led to a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  Thanks to six rounds of chemotherapy and a positive attitude, Harriet achieved survivorship.  She has returned to a healthy lifestyle, which includes taking up ballroom dancing.

For Pete Hill, a colonoscopy led to a diagnosis of bowel cancer.  His treatment regimen included a temporary stoma bag and chemotherapy, but he achieved survivorship.  Having a stoma bag required some radical changes in his diet and its removal required still more changes, but says his health is “80 percent” of what it was before the diagnosis.  This is his story.

Rob Capuano woke up one night with a severe pain in his stomach.  He wanted to be seen at an urgent care, but due to COVID, the facility couldn’t admit him.  When he was seen, he had to insist on an MRI, which resulted in his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  Between surgery and chemotherapy, Rob achieved survivorship.  He is also thankful that the hospital where he was treated was sensitive to issues tied to his being a married gay man, because, says Rob, not all health care facilities have staffers with those sensitivities.  Rob says his health is very close to its pre-diagnosis level, and works as an advocate for cancer patients.

For Cindy Clark, fatigue led to a doctor’s appointment, which led to a biopsy and a diagnosis of cervical cancer.  However, thanks to a regimen of radium and chemotherapy, Cindy achieved survivorship.  She has been cancer-free since 2006.  Cindy now works as an advocate for the Cancer Association of South Africa.

After years of sunburn as a kid, in his twenties, Steffan Tubbs noticed an unusual-looking mole on his chest.  After two failed attempts to surgically remove it, some thirty years later, he was diagnosed with melanoma.  A third procedure removed the cancer in its entirety.  When he goes outdoors, he takes a series of precautions to limit his exposure to the sun and tells everyone to make sure that with regularity they are seen by a dermatologist.

What began as an obstruction of Matthew Rosenblum’s bile duct became a diagnosis of Stage Four pancreatic cancer, of which he learned via his cellphone.  After two clashes with chemotherapy and two surgical procedures, Matthew leads a healthy lifestyle.  Going forward, he wants to be an advocate for others diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  This is his story.

When fifty-something Raphaela Ilgenfritz started feeling tired all the time, she thought her fatigue was tied to menopause.  That led to a serious of doctor visits, which led to a colonoscopy, which led to a diagnosis of rectal cancer, or, as it is more commonly in the United Kingdom, where she lives, bowel cancer.  She had to be outfitted with a colostomy bag, a challenge she immediately embraced.  Raphaela founded Stoma4life, a support group for those with below-the-belt cancers, which grew into a podcast, heard on UKHealthRadio.  This is her story.