My Journey With Two NCD’s – Cancer and HIV
Hello, my name is Ashliegh Bezuidenhout. I am a 48-year-old, coloured, lady from South Africa. The first part of my story goes like this – in July 2014, I was diagnosed with HIV. This was devasting because I was always so careful in my relationships but, after all the counselling sessions at my clinic, I was able to understand how I contracted it, and learned that I had been carrying the virus in my system for over eight years before it eventually presented as HIV. For the first three years it was hard to deal with the thought of taking medication for the rest of my life, but I was encouraged to have a positive mindset, even though I had this virus in me. From that moment on, I do my best to stay on top of it, take my medication on time and never miss my clinic appointments.
The second part of my story starts where, for over three years of my life, living in Johannesburg, I was sick on-and-off with stomach pains, constant constipation, pain near my ovaries and swelling of my stomach. I spent so much time going to doctors at Alexander Clinic and Edenvale Hospital, undergoing so many tests, x-rays and scans and they couldn’t find what was making me suffer so much pain.
Eventually on the 15 February 2021, at the end of a busy work day, I was rushed to Edenvale Hospital with severe pain and constantly passing out. The doctor discovered that I had a huge mass in my stomach causing an obstruction to my colon and bowel. I was referred to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital for further management and care and it was there that I was advised by the doctors that I needed an emergency operation to remove the mass as it was starting to spread to my right ovary and that there is a possibility that it may be cancerous.
After my operation, I was devasted by the news that I had colon cancer, stage 2. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was so anxious when advised by the doctors to commence chemotherapy immediately after the operation only to find out that the hospital’s chemotherapy section, and a few other wards, were damaged by a fire. I, along with a few other patients, was now stuck, not knowing what to do or where I had to go for further treatment and the chemotherapy.
I went through a tough time getting help from the helplines, set up during the time the hospital was closed due to the fire. After a suggestion from my sister in Australia, I contacted the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) to get help, and that’s when I was put in touch with the CANSA Advocacy Head – Zodwa Sithole. Zodwa connected me to the Head Nurse in charge of the Chemo Clinic – Sister Tersia – and that’s when I was told that I needed to go to Baragwanath Hospital for check-ups and chemotherapy till further notice.
It has been a struggle with hospitals, and getting treatment on time, since I started this cancer journey in 2021. There have been occasions where we (fellow patients and I) didn’t receive chemotherapy on time or now, that I’m wearing a stoma bag since my operation, when the hospital did not have enough stock of the stoma bags and we used to get 10 to 15 bags to last us a month. It is a little bit better now that I get a box of 30 bags a month but, it’s still an issue we need help with.
We cancer patients need our cries for help to be heard about short supplies of medication, stoma bags and any delays in treatment like chemotherapy and radiation. I am ever so grateful to Zodwa, CANSA, and all her staff who, from 2021 till today, have taken the time to help me on my journey. Even though I am in remission for three and a half years now, I’m still getting help from them – God Bless them.
#I’mAWarrior #I’mASurvivor
This is MY story
