Ilse-Mari Hanekom hiking in the Drakensberg

Big brother cancer survivor takes on the boys, as they attempt to conquer the highest peak in Africa

Issued by Matrix Advertising & Communications 

She was, is and will always be the ultimate survivor! (or is it housemate?) Ilse-Mari Hanekom known for her Big Brother South Africa fame, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in February 2008.

Her diagnosis was only two weeks after she got engaged.  With the support of her family, friends, fiancé, her religion and her high spirits, she endured the side effects of her chemotherapy and has been in remission since June 2008.

She displays a passion for hiking in the Drakensberg and Lesotho mountain ranges. This has made her a perfect candidate for a Lymphoma awareness raising climb to the top of Africa.

Around 360 000 new cases of Lymphoma are diagnosed globally each year.

Awareness of Lymphoma, a cancer of the Lymphatic system which damages the body’s immune system, is very low in South Africa and because symptoms are very similar to other illnesses such as flu can often be misdiagnosed.

The causes are unknown but the most common early symptoms of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is:

• Painless swelling of the lymph nodes, usually in the neck, armpit, groin or abdomen
• Night sweats or a recurring fever.
• Tiredness and weight loss.
• Unexplained fever.
• A cough or breathlessness

Ilse-Mari will embark on this expedition of Mount Kilimanjaro, celebrating every day she is granted health, spirit and laughter, carrying a message of hope to the summit on behalf of other Lymphoma survivors.

She will be climbing Kilimanjaro as a member of the Team of Hope.  The Team will be captained by Robby Kojetin, the 17th South African to summit Mount Everest.

Ilse-Mari is the only lady on the team, and she will be out to show the boys a thing or two. Claiming that she will be the first to the top!

The team has been training together, and excitement is building as they are scheduled to depart at 22h00 on Friday the 30^th of April.

Other symptoms of Lymphoma include:

v  Sweating at night
- Excessive sweating

v  Persistent itch all over the body
- Feeling an itch all over your skin that does not go away.

v  Painless lumps in the neck, armpit and groin:
- These lumps may be quite small, so you may not notice them for some time.

v  Tiredness and weight loss:
- You may lose your appetite and feel very tired.

v  Unexplained fever:
- If a fever comes on unexpectedly, it may not just be a common cold or flu.

v  A cough or breathlessness:
- Having a cough that does not go away or becoming breathless when you do physical activity       like walking.

A High Tea was held at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town on 15 September 2009 in recognition of this day.  10–year lymphoma survivor, Carl Liebenberg, co-founder and director of People Living with Cancer (PLWC), and Eldré Strydom, CEO of People Living with Cancer (PLWC), attended this event.  Carl, who gave a talk on the day, was diagnosed with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1998.  He received monoclonal antibody therapy as part of his lymphoma treatment and has successfully rebuilt his life since his diagnosis and treatment.

Carl recalls the day where there was finally real hope.  “The end of a dark journey was coming to a happy ending. So I started thinking about my future. Realising there was a greater degree of certainty about what lay ahead, I started to reflect on the various promises I made to myself on what I would do if I got back on my feet.”

“There were a number of aspects of my life I wanted to change, but there was one thing in particular I wanted to do. I wanted to help others deal with the uncertainty of what lay ahead when they were diagnosed with cancer. But most importantly, I wanted to be a beacon of hope. I wanted to show people that cancer wasn’t necessarily a death knell. It can be beaten.”  And so PLWC was born in South Africa.

“I hope WLAD will create further awareness of lymphoma and give hope to many South African lymphoma patients and also make the public aware of this type of cancer,” he said.

For further information on lymphoma, visit:

www.beCANCERaware.co.za

www.lymphomacoalition.org/

I wanted to share an important milestone with you. I have been clear 10 years!! I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1998. After 9 months of chemo and 2 rounds of abdominal surgery things looked “good”. But as you know, you don’t get a Noddy badge or a gold star to say you’ve passed and no one says to you “now go home and celebrate!!”. So check ups every month gradually became check ups once a year and before you know it, 10 years have passed without incident..

Its great to have experienced cancer as it changed me for the better. Its also great to be alive! So to celebrate ( and to try and lose a little weight!), I decided to run the New York marathon. See attached pic..

To all of those out there who are struggling with chemo, remember to stay positive. Talk to people who have been through what you’re going through and believe in your doctors and the process you’re going through.

Kind regards
Carl