Yusuf Omar
Protea Gardens Mall yesterday held its first Shaveathon in support of cancer. People had their heads shaven bald or spraypainted pink for the fight against cancer.
Music blared and children bounced on a jumping castle, sponsored by generous donors. The Cancer Association provided the clippers, and all the barbers were volunteers.
“We had to lower the price from R50 to R20 because of the area we operate in,” said the mall’s spokeswoman, Habiba van der Merwe.
“Many black people have a taboo about cancer. The stigma attached to it is like HIV in the township,” she said. “More people around here have cancer than HIV. People need to become more aware of it.”
Cancer survivor Sindiswa Sigela, 43, had her head shaved. She had a brain tumour, and it was months before she realised it.
“First I had buzzing in my ear. Then I started fainting. Eventually the entire left side of my body was paralysed,” she explained. When she discovered a lump in her breast in 2008 and had it removed and tested, the doctors found she had cancer. And by that stage it had spread to her brain. After 15 sessions of chemotherapy and lots of heavy drugs, her condition has now stabilised.
“There was nothing they could do because of the location of the tumour,” said Sigela. The mother of three is recovering but has lost all hearing in her right ear and has a cast around her left arm because of nerve damage. Her father died of prostate cancer and her uncle of throat cancer.
“I have reached a stage when I no longer survive for myself,” said Sigela. “I’m trying to get people to go for pap smears and do self-examinations. I can’t change the past, so I’m living for tomorrow.”