How Peter Beck beat big C
‘It’s not easy, but I survived and so can you’
‘ISURVIVED. It’s not easy but each human is unique… there’s always hope and they mustn’t give up. They must take a stand because they’re entitled to healthcare, it’s their right.”
That’s what cancer survivor Peter Beck had to say to patients who are on the waiting list at government hospitals for cancer and surgery.
Beck was at St Augustine’s Hospital, which hosted #CuppaForCansa yesterday as a fund-raiser for the association ahead of World Cancer Day tomorrow.
#CuppaForCansa is a charity drive where hosts (including cancer survivors) serve sweet and savoury treats either sponsored or baked by themselves and their guests make a donation when they attend the function.
Beck, who has been in remission for six months, said he was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a very rare and aggressive cancer that attacks fat cells and connective tissue.
“Five years ago I was diagnosed on a Friday… on the Monday I had my consultation with an oncologist and the next day went in for a six-hour operation.
“Because this type of cancer is so aggressive it spreads quickly. I had about 18 to 20 surgeries and 22 sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.”
He said his journey to remission was not easy, adding that he couldn’t have done it without his family.
Beck, who is a scrub nurse at St Augustine’s Hospital, said it hit home when he was diagnosed.
“We work with cancer patients daily but when it hits home it’s scary. When you are told that you have cancer you just think you are going to die,” he said. Sesethu Senene, who is with the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) in the Durban area, said the association had an advocacy department – advocating for the rights of those cancer patients who had been affected by the oncology crisis.
“We get calls from patients who have had their operation dates cancelled at government hospitals and we refer them to our advocacy department which is working on their cases,” she said.
Senene said that for their department to function optimally they needed funding.
She added that drives like #CuppaForCansa – which normally runs from June until October – added much-needed value.
“The fund-raiser is not restricted to starting only in June. Hosts who want to do them sooner can. We also encourage healthier options of food to be made available instead of just cupcakes.”
Adele Hoosen, marketing officer at the hospital, said that while staff had been asked to start their donations for the treats from R5, some had donated much more, making the fund-raiser a success.
“This just shows that people can come together for a good cause,” she said,
At the moment the KZN Department of Health is partnering with private hospitals and specialists in an effort to address the oncology crisis in the province.
Meanwhile, cancer statistics globally are alarming and the epidemic is set to continue rising.
About 8.2 million people die from the disease worldwide every year; 4 million of these are premature deaths – those aged 30 to 69 years.
This is according to Elize Joubert, head of Cansa.
“Over the next 10 years, it’s projected that cancer deaths will increase to more than 14million per year,” said Joubert.
In South Africa, the true number of cancer patients is not known because of the lack of a comprehensive cancer surveillance system, said Joubert.
In 2008, 55 286 new cases of cancer were reported to the National Cancer Registry (NCR). A total of 52% of these cases were women and children. In 2012, 77 440 cases were referred to the NCR. The latest Stats SA figures show a steady increase in deaths attributable to cancer from 5.6% in 2006 to 9.1% in 2015.