Beyoncé’s designer fighting for his life at home
Kekana also battles to make ends meet
Renowned fashion designer, whose clientele includes Beyoncé, has moved back home in Soweto after being diagnosed with cancer. Lebogang Quiteria Kekana of Quiteria Atelier was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April.
The designer said that he started feeling tired, lost his appetite, experienced aches and pain in his body, and was always confused.the 38-year-old Kekana, who was commissioned to design 45 garments for Beyoncé and her dancers for the Global Citizen concert that took place in 2018, had to leave his upmarket penthouse to move back home to Soweto where he is in the care of his mother. He is struggling to make ends meet.
“I developed skin patches and lost energy, I was fatigued, and my body couldn’t take the stress. I experienced inflammation in different parts of my body,” said Kekana.
“Many people know it as the Kahler’s disease, but multiple myeloma is basically a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.
Cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd the healthy blood cells and produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications.”
Since his diagnosis, the international designer has struggled to make ends meet and to pay medical bills.
“It’s come to that, I’m afraid. Friends have assisted in paying some of my medical bills.
I’ve managed to sell some of my belongings to keep the store and studio open until I get better.”
This week, the international designer started chemotherapy.