Agrippa Ngobeni – Teen Cancer Survivor – Studies Environmental Health to Protect Immuno-compromised Patients

I’m Agrippa Ngobeni from Njhaka-njhaka village, Hlanganani RDP houses, in the Vhembe District Municipality, near Elim.

I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2012 at the age of 15 – I was in Grade 9 at the time.

During that time it was just me and my sister, who’s four years older than me, at home – she was in matric at the time and our mother was in Johannesburg.

My illness started as a hearing problem as the lymph nodes were swollen around my neck even behind my ears.

They did my biopsy at Elim Hospital, and I was later transferred to Polokwane Provincial Hospital. Dr. Wedi welcomed and admitted me at Ward M, an adult ward, even though I was only 15yrs old.

I felt depressed during my 2 week stay there, as I was with very old people and I couldn’t go out to see the sun or play.

Bobby Were (CANSA TLC – middle) and Agrippa Ngobeni (right)

I was so glad when I was moved to Ward L (Paediactric Oncology), which was a bit removed from the rest of the hospital. It felt much like a home.

Finally, I was with my peers and we could play inside and outside in a secure environment. My mother was living with me there which made things even easier. Uncle Bobby, from CANSA TLC, and the staff were very kind to us. Uncle Bobby shared with me his cancer survival story which really encouraged me.

Chemotherapy was difficult, it made me weak and sick, but it was worth it in the end. The whole chemo cycle took the rest of the year. I was able to go back to school the following year and repeat Grade 9.

I am now doing a Bachelor of Environmental Health course with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

The direction of my studies was inspired by my illness.

During the time I was being treated at Ward L, they would give us breaks to go home and visit our families after a week of chemo. I couldn’t last a week at home – three days was enough to send me back to the ward very sick. Today as an adult I can attribute the infections I was getting at home, during my breaks, to the blocked sewage. My mother had to work the toilet so I could use it, everything was exiting just outside the house, and this aggravated my sickness.

Public health and environmental health go hand in hand. That’s why I chose this route, to help combat environmental health hazards that could severely affect immuno-compromised people like myself at the time, and even now.

The academic route hasn’t been easy. I’ve been hospitalised due to TB, lost funding and a place to stay, but I keep pushing forward and am hoping to complete my studies soon.

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