‘I Reached for Recovery…’
INDERA Maharaj, a retired teacher from Reservoir Hills, was diagnosed with breast cancer a week before her daughter’s wedding.
“For about a month I was having pain deep inside my chest. One day the throbbing got so bad I thought I was having a heart attack, so I went to the doctor.”
But, with no sign of strain on her heart Maharaj’s pain was attributed to pre-wedding stress. The pain persisted. She was sent for a mammogram, then a biopsy which confirmed- breast cancer. “Everything happened so quickly. I cried through my daughter’s wedding on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday I was admitted to hospital and on Tuesday I had a full left mastectomy.”
Maharaj’s left breast was removed before she could really come to terms with the fact that she had stage 2 breast cancer.
“I was in denial. But I also thought what will become of my husband and children, or how will I go out in public without a breast.”
Despite having her family and friends’ support, Maharaj fell into depression.
“What pulled me back to life was a visit from a Reach For Recovery volunteer.”
Reach For Recovery supports people who have just had breast removal surgery.
“We bring them a care bag. The bag itself can be used to hold the post-surgery drain so they can walk about freely. There is a comfort cushion, a stress ball and pamphlets on certain exercises they can do after surgery,” said Maharaj.
The care bag and information about the road ahead as well as the support of a Reach For Recovery volunteer brought Maharaj so much comfort and hope that she became a volunteer and is now the chairperson of the Durban chapter.
The 35 volunteers in KwaZulu-Natal visit patients, especially those at public hospitals. “We have a space at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital where we visit patients. Most of them are indigent and from far and wide so families may not be able to come visit often; it really gives them comfort to sit with a volunteer.”
Through their Project Ditto, Reach For Recovery now also provides a silicone breast prosthesis, so the women “feel the same” as before the surgery.
“Breasts are an important part of a woman’s body there is a certain level of loss after surgery.”
Maharaj said they are always in need of funds for these, as well as for the soft fabric sewn by volunteers into a temporary prosthesis.
Later this month, Reach For Recovery will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at the Jewish Centre in Durban.
“It’s hard to imagine that before, women had no support, going through this horror roller coaster ride alone. I know from my own experience that talking to a volunteer who had been through what I was going through helped me move forward,” said Maharaj.