“Cancer changed my view”
Freda Botha: Global Hero of Hope 2020
Freda Botha – In November 2008, just after my 34th birthday, I began to feel sick. I was battling with my stomach and felt nauseated all the time. On 22 November 2008 it was so bad that I decided to go to my doctor. He referred me to Provincial Hospital for x-rays, and they immediately sent me on to Livingstone’s Casualty division, where they saw a blockage in my bowel and a bunch of air bubbles.
I was admitted to Livingstone Hospital. After more x-rays, scans and blood tests, they decided to operate on 26 November. Little did I know how my life would change that day. During the surgery they found a growth and decided it should be removed immediately. I was shocked when I woke up with a stoma bag and heard that it had become a much larger operation. I don’t remember much of the month I spent in hospital. I just know that if I hadn’t become ill, they probably wouldn’t have found the growth, and things could have turned out very differently for me.
After my diagnosis, I didn’t know what to expect, where to find information or who to turn to for help. A friend told me about CANSA Relay For Life. At first I was sceptical, because my cancer wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. I felt it was personal and that no one would understand.
I agreed to attend a survivors’ function to keep my friend happy, and it became a turning point. I realised how many people were in the same boat as me, and that there was an organisation that could give me the answers I was looking for. After my second Relay, I decided I wanted to do more to help educate people and raise funds for CANSA.
What began as helping out has grown into so much more. Today I am a Leader Volunteer and a member of the CANSA Relay For Life Advisory Team, and I serve as Chairperson of the Survivors Function at our Relay, a day that is very close to my heart. I have also been privileged to serve as volunteer chairperson of CANSA Relay For Life Gqeberha and to be selected as a Global Hero of Hope in 2020. I went on to serve as Regional Lead for South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe, mentoring fellow Heroes across the region, and I was honoured to be appointed to the Global Heroes of Hope Core Leadership Team, where I represent South Africa.
I also facilitate our CANSA WhatsApp support groups, because I know how much it means to be connected to people who understand. That is exactly what I was missing when I was first diagnosed.
The person who was once too shy to talk about her cancer has now been invited to share her story in radio interviews and a magazine feature, and I continue to speak at webinars and Relay events. Every time I share, I hope someone who feels alone will realise they are not.
I never thought cancer would change a person’s life so much, but it changed my view on a lot of things. I can’t change what has happened, so I believe in taking it one day at a time, making the best of what comes my way, and trying to be for someone else what Relay was for me.
