CANSA CONNECT Keeping you updated with what is happening in the Northern

Sasolburg – – – – – - Holy Country – Villiers – Cornelia – – Frankfort – Edenville – – – – -

DECEMBER 2007

Regional Office moves to A rejuvenation in volunteer structures and growth in service delivery to the Northern Free State communities prompted a re-think of the strategic position of the regional office.

Moving the regional office from Kroonstad to Sasolburg was a key factor in facilitating Ronel de Freitas [email protected] the region’s ‘new look’. To ease the transition, a temporary satellite office in Kroonstad would be manned by Sibongile Cingo (health programme coordinator), the only remaining staff member from the Kroonstad regional office.

Once the ‘where’ were taken care of, ‘who’ was next on the agenda. A suitably qualified regional manager to head up the region, a health programme coordinator to facilitate volunteer activity with regard to patient services and health awareness campaigns, and an admin assistant to lend support to the regional office staff had to

Sibongile Cingo be appointed.

Ronel de Freitas was appointed regional manager, and Lelanie du Preez took up the admin assistant position soon after. On a bitterly cold Friday night towards the end of August, the contents of the former Kroonstad office was delivered to 7 Riemland Street, Sasolburg. Over the next few weeks a regional office slowly began to take shape amid the chaos of boxes, boxes and even more boxes!

Shortly before Quintin Lombard joined the team as health programme coordinator in

Quintin Lombard early December, Sibongile Cingo left CANSA’s employment. Grace Moerane will be [email protected] taking over from her and even though her duties only commences on 2 January 2008, she has already attended an orientation and induction session in preparation for her new role.

Health Programmes CANSA aims to substantially reduce the impact of cancer by promoting health in all communities within , through advocacy and sustainable facilitation of

Lelanie du Preez research, prevention, early detection and care. [email protected]

Early detection

An estimated 80% – 90% of newly diagnosed cancer patients cannot be cured

because their cancers are already in advanced stages by the time it is diagnosed. It is therefore vital to detect cancer as early as possible to improve the survival rate

amongst newly diagnosed patients. Fortunately the most common cancers can be

detected reasonably early with the use of effective and non-invasive screening tools.

Mobile Clinic

CANSA Free State & Northern Cape (FSNC) has two mobile clinics which are allocated

to the various FSNC regions on a rotational basis, and CANSA Northern Free State was host to one of these mobile clinics during the latter half of 2007.

A driver and two local registered nurses were contracted to provide the screening services associated with the mobile clinic.

Cervical cancer causes more deaths amongst South African women than any other type of cancer, yet a simple PAP smear is highly effective in detecting early signs of cervical cancer. The mobile clinic hosted numerous PAP smear clinics throughout the region, but concentrated on service delivery in rural towns and remote agricultural Sr Selina Letsele areas (Tatolo lost count of how many times the mobile clinic got stuck on muddy Mobile clinic farm roads!)

During July – December 2007 the CANSA mobile clinic made it possible for a staggering 964 Northern Free State women to have potentially life-saving PAP smears* free of charge (the cost normally associated with a PAP smear varies between R300 – R400). In addition to that, 534 breast examinations were also done.

(*Those patients whose PAP smear test results showed any abnormalities, were referred to

Sr Zinnia Lofafa clinics for follow-up diagnostic procedures) Mobile clinic Qu eui ng at the mo bile clin Tatolo Matlabe ic - Mobile clinic it is equ ipped to enable healthcare professionals to perform PAP smears literally anywhere!

Prevention

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer amongst South Africans, yet “Sasolburg raises 75% of skin cancer incidences can be SunSmart prevented by adequate skin protection children!” in childhood alone.

Ultraviolet (UV) damage accumulates over the years and manifests later in life as skin damage, premature aging, or even skin cancer, which is why the Sasolburg regional office have decided to teach our communities how to raise SunSmart children!

SunSmart During the hot South African summer months CANSA raises awareness about skin cancer with our SunSmart campaign.

When buying sunscreen, look out for the CANSA Seal of Recognition (CSOR). It is a registered trademark awarded to a variety of products that guarantee a high standard of UV protection, including sunscreen, swimsuits, hats, sunglasses, vehicle glass, shirts and pants. These products have been thoroughly tested and rated to offer UV protection appropriate for our harsh South African climate.

SunSmart checklist:

• Wear sunscreen of at least SPF15 or higher and re-apply every 2 hours, and also after swimming, towel-drying or perspiring

• Wear loose-fitting garments made from tightly-woven fabric

• Wear a wide-rimmed hat (not a cap!) to keep your ears, neck and face protected

• Seek shade and stay cool. UV rays reflect of glass, water, grass, sand, cement and snow so apply sunscreen even when you’re in the shade

• Avoid direct sunlight between 10am and 3pm when UV rays are strongest – wear protection if outside or playing sport during those times

• Shade your eyes against UV rays by wearing sunglasses with a strength of at least UV400

Patient Services in the Northern Free State

CANSA staff and volunteers provide cancer patients and their families with support through:

• Emotional, practical and spiritual guidance

• Physical care of patients

• Accommodation at Olea and Katleho Interim Homes while patients are receiving treatment in Bloemfontein

• Lending of medical equipment, physical aids, wheelchairs, a wig bank and more

• Therapeutic and support groups

• Sale of stomal, prosthesis and incontinence products

Community Home-based Caregivers

CANSA Northern Free State is proud of its current involvement with the

Department of Health’s visionary and thriving community home-based caregiver programme.

Besides administering certain aspects of the CHBC programme, CANSA is also committed to the development of the community home-based caregivers, and on a rotational basis visit the various caregiver communities,

and during these visits support and training is routinely given to the

caregivers.

Quintin Lombard recently trained some of the Northern Free State

Community Home-based Caregivers in the various aspects of CANSA’s SunSmart campaign.

Putting a face to the disease This section is dedicated to cancer sufferers and their families. One very brave patient has decided to share her experiences with us over the next three months.

‘Ek het kanker’

Rene (38) “My naam is Rene, en ek is 38 jaar oud. Ek het borskanker; besig met chemoterapie en al die ander dinge wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Met Kersfees om die draai en

chirurgie wat voorle gaan dit nogal rof.

Ek het net geweet iets is nie lekker nie. Ek was heeltyd moeg, todat ek eendag die knop in my bors ontdek het. Het dit afgemaak as spanning, dalk ‘n fibrose-iets, dalk te veel sjokolade of koffie.

‘n Maand later is die knop nie weg nie en ook nie kleiner nie, en ek begin toe daaroor

lees. Ek begin wonder, nog nie bang nie, maar dinge pla. Ek lees en lees, bekyk myself deeglik elke oggend in die spieel. Oops, dinge lyk nie goed nie! Nou’s ek bang.

‘n Paar dae later gaan ek vir ‘n sonar. Hulle praat van ‘internal echoes’ en ek weet nie wat dit is nie, maar ek kan sien dat die dokter bekommerd is. My verloofde hoor maar hy hoor nie. Hy’s in ‘total denial’, besef ek. Intussen is dit die een besoek na die ander aan dokters en chirurge, en ek is naby waansin. Hierdie ding moet net uit, al doen ‘n vearts van Soweto dit!

Ek lees en lees en lees. Party vroue vra sommer vir ‘n dubbele mastektomie al is net een bors geaffekteer. Pure malligheid! Ek sien uiteindelik ‘n onkoloog in boodskap begin insink.

Die uitslae neem ‘n week en ek is lekker befoeterd; sommer lelik met almal. Uiteindelik is dit gereed, maar ek is weer alleen toe ek dit kry. Ek verstaan nie die mediese terme in die verslag nie, en ek wys my verslag vir ‘n berader wat by my kom sit. Sy lees dit, en se ja, dit is kanker. Ek het dit geweet. SMS almal wat saakmaak, en dan is dit my beurt om die dokter te sien.” (1/4)

Sasolburg regio nal office’s brand new newsletter!

We can’t think of a better way to share news and information with our CANSA friends, patients, volunteers, sponsors and other stakeholders than with a home-grown regional newsletter!

Reader contributions are very welcome – please send your articles, newsflashes, photographs and more to [email protected] (just remember to zip large files and attachments!). Future editions of CANSA CONNECT will reflect the linguistic diversity of our community, so please send in your and Sotho contributions too.

Know someone who would like to receive his/her own copy of CANSA CONNECT? Please forward those names and email addresses to the regional office and we’ll make sure they won’t miss out!

For more information, please contact:

CANSA Northern Free State

7 Riemland Street, SASOLBURG, 1947

Phone / Fax 016 976 0055 / 52

E-mail [email protected]

Web address www.cansa.org.za

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“When the time is right for you to leave a gift

to a good cause in your will,

please remember CANSA”