From CANCER to COLD WATER

There was no history of breast cancer in my family. Every October I would buy the bandana at Pick n Pay and think, ‘Thank goodness that will never be me.’

All that changed in September 2018, when I discovered a large lump under my arm. I had a mammogram, which was clear, followed by an ultrasound, which showed a tumour had engulfed a lymph gland. Two days later I had an excision biopsy. I was convinced all would be well: my tumourmarker blood tests were negative; my CT scan was fine. But the following week I was told I had a malignant secondary tumour. The final diagnosis was triple-negative breast cancer.

In October I had a double mastectomy and 11 lymph nodes removed. Because the cancer is an aggressive one, I was in for six months of chemotherapy – Red Devil followed by Taxol – and five weeks of radiation. I suggested to Dr Aaron Ndhluni, the breast surgeon,