The Cancer Association of South Africa

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CANSA Gave Me Dignity When I Needed it Most

“When I was diagnosed with rectal cancer I was given just two months to live. That was 25 years ago!” Dennis Wells explains.

#CANSACares

Have you ever thought about how grateful cancer Survivors like Dennis are for the generosity of donors like you? Well I’ll let Dennis tell you his story...

“I wonder what I did to deserve a second chance,” jokes 90-year-old Dennis Wells, with a twinkle in his eye.

“It was quite a shock. I’d been treating myself for about a year, but eventually I had to face the doctor. He told me that my cancer was so far advanced I only had a slim chance of surviving the operation.”

“In fact, I died and was resuscitated twice in theatre; even so, I wasn’t expected to survive for long.”

Dennis Wells

“I was receiving chemo weekly. The weeks passed, then months, and before I knew it, I’d survived a year. And still the treatment continued.”

“Making lifestyle changes to deal with the devastating impact of my bowel surgery was a challenge. But by my side were my dear wife and the charming, caring, capable ladies from the CANSA Care Centre in Mowbray. They gave me the confidence to live my life to the full, and I did just that. I will never forget them.”

“Then – as now – I was very thankful for the generous souls, and I believe you – as a donor – is one such person, who make it possible for CANSA to provide essential medical support services for Survivors.”

“CANSA restored my dignity and made living with this condition easy and trouble-free. Without the advice and guidance of an expert by your side, you can feel pretty desperate, not knowing what to do.”

“I can say without hesitation that I owe my survival to the ripe old age of 90 to the devotion and caring of the CANSA staff, and the wonderful people who make their work possible.”

You’re probably not aware of what a burden the expense of stoma medical supplies is – it adds up to at least R3 000 to R4 000 a month.

And we can’t begin to imagine how anyone would cope with a stoma if they couldn’t afford these basic essentials. So, to meet this critical, life-saving need, CANSA supplies everything stoma users need, at a very affordable price.

This service that you help us to provide gives much appreciated peace of mind.

Your contribution will subsidise stoma products and give more patients, like Dennis, the support, advice and dignity they need to cope.

We’re depending on your compassion to keep the wheels of this service turning – so that we can help more cancer patients when they need you and I most.

Thank you for keeping us in your heart and mind.

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