My Journey as a Caregiver

Although I didn’t suffer the physical pain, I experienced the horror, the paralysing fear as I heard that my beloved wife had breast cancer in 2002. My greatest fears were losing my wife and not been able to cope without her.

Questions kept mulling over my mind and the biggest concern was that I would not be able to rear our three little children. It was then that I decided breast cancer would not be the winner, but I would be the ‘winner man’; it had to be our fight. We stepped up as a family.

Together, we went through all the stages of fear, denial and acceptance, but it was with this acceptance that I earned my boxing gloves, as I realised that I would have to embrace all of the challenges that faced us.

I nursed my wife, Rita, after her mastectomy; accompanied her through endless hours of chemotherapy. This journey has taught me how to fight back and I am eternally grateful for the energy I was provided to take this fight to another level.

I coordinated and served as the chairperson at local CANSA Relay For Life events and have been Master of Ceremonies at local CANSA Shavathon, Cuppa For CANSA, Movember and Dare Devil Race events.

I am often asked what I found rewarding from my role as a caregiver and my first answer is to see my wife in remission since 2002.