CONSTANTIA | WYNBERG
TUESDAY 23 June 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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People’s Post
STRONGER TOGETHER: Steenberg Farm’s executive chef Kerry Kilpin and her team have joined hands with surrounding communities, providing meals for families affected by job losses because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Working closely with the Westlake Worship Centre, chef Kerry has pledged to deliver 3 000 nourishing meals per month. Meals are served daily at the Westlake Worship Centre from Monday to Saturday from 15:00 and Sundays from 12:00. Over 100 people – children, adults and the elderly – are being fed, says Pastor Franklin Dennison of the Westlake Worship Centre. This community initiative is being bolstered by donating three meals for every take-home food order placed through Steenberg@Home.
CANCER AWARENESS
Ready to move mountains NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
A
s far as tests of endurance go, a 5km run through Constantia can’t really be compared to a 16-day hike up Mount Everest, but for cancer survivor Matthew Reid, both represent the same thing – a significant beacon on his life’s journey. The one, he did on Sunday 7 June when he took part in the Childhood Cancer Foundation’s (CHOC) Cancer Survivors Day run/ walk from his home during the lockdown. The other he hopes to accomplish next year when international travel is again allowed. Initially, the 17-year-old with a group of fellow Bishops Diocesan College learners were going to hike up Mount Everest in March. They were set to leave on Friday 13 March and return on Saturday 4 April. Then the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The Grade 11 learner says he and his dad were in the car on their way to Cape Town International Airport when they received a call from the expedition organisers, saying the trip had been cancelled.
“After months of training and preparation, we had to turn back. We were gutted,” he says. But this isn’t the first time Matthew had been forced to take one step back before taking one forward. At age seven, he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma – an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Matthew says since his first day as a Grade 1 learner at Bishops, he loved to participate in sport. But a four-month course of chemotherapy left his bones depleted of calcium and extremely brittle. “I broke about eight bones within one year of the chemotherapy. Once I was playing Red Rover when a friend threw a yoga ball at me. I tripped over it and as I tried to break my fall with my elbow, it just snapped.” He stopped participating in sport but then, two to three years later, he took up squash. It wasn’t long before he earned his first Western Cape Provincial colours in 2014 and SA colours in 2017. A nerve injury caused him to sit 2019 out but he will be back in competition as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow. Looking back, Matthew admits it was a difficult time, but, he says, he never felt alone. He says his parents, Ian and Sue Reid, and
friends were always there for him. While undergoing chemotherapy at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Matthew followed a cycle of two-weeksin and one-week-out of hospital for the duration of the treatment. “Every night I spent in the ward, my mom or my dad was there. They either slept in the chair in the corner of the room, or in the bed next to me if it was free.” He says he respects what his parents did for him. “They never told me I had cancer while I was in hospital. They said I was sick and that was why I had to be there. They kept me in a bubble to keep me positive. My mom and dad tried to stay as strong as they could. I never saw them give in.” He only realised how serious his condition had been after he was pronounced clear of cancer at the end of his treatment. A few weeks later, his parents told him that his friend Abdul Azeez Moosa had died. The two boys had met in hospital. Abdul Azeez was one year older than Matthew and had been diagnosed with leukaemia. “We used to play PlayStation 2 games together. He finished his treatment before me and went home. I was really happy for him.
When I left hospital, I was hoping we could spend time together. Then my parents told me he had been rushed to hospital again.” Abdul Azeez’s cancer had returned. A couple of days later, he passed away. “It was 02:00 when my parents told me. I remember asking them, ‘Could I have died from cancer?’ and they said, ‘yes’.” After his treatment, Matthew had to regularly return to the Red Cross for check-ups. His final test was on 10 December last year. “I went to see all my nurses, sisters and doctors. I remember so many faces. Everyone made me feel so welcome, like family. I am so thankful for that,” he adds. As a volunteer for CHOC Western Cape, Matthew is championing its run/walk campaign which calls on cancer survivors and members of the public to support them through walking or running 5km’s from their homes during June. The run/walk is to raise funds for CHOC’s services rendered to children and teenagers battling cancer and life-threatening blood disorders. V To participate, visit CHOC’s BackaBuddy page (walk/ run.https://www.backabuddy.co.za/choc-wc-csd) where you can donate a R20 entry fee. For more information, visit “CHOC Western Cape Group”.
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