Hello, it’s me. I’m still here!

I know it’s been a while since my last update, but I have been overwhelmed dealing with things: undergoing treatment for stage 4 cancer, finally getting medicated for ADHD, upgrading my tech gadgets and gear in order to work and play again; dealing with family medical emergencies (Grandma recently fell and broke her hip—needing hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation); and spending some time with my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephews.

It’s been a busy couple of months, but things are finally getting back to “normal.” I’m ready to update you all on what’s been happening…

Life Update

I’m still living with my parents in Polokwane, Limpopo. Due to my Autism and ADHD, I’m still finding it difficult to make friends or generate an income. I am still very much reliant on my family, my fans, my supporters, my sponsors, and now, after an official assessment, I am receiving a disability grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

Unfortunately, the grant is not enough to cover all of my expenses or to fund a normal lifestyle: It’s only R2400 ZAR (Approx. $145 USD) per month; too low to support the basic cost of living but it does help—every bit helps to make life easier in a system where everything has a price, and I am grateful for all the help that I can get. Being autistic and living with ADHD presents various challenges, especially financially.

I find that being neurodivergent costs a lot more than being neurotypical—especially when it comes to attempting to live a fulfilling life and getting all my needs met. It’s been tough, but I am grateful that I am now receiving a grant from the state in addition to the occasional music royalty payments and financial assistance from my family and my sponsors (more on this later: see “Wealth Update” below).

I am still here, I am still alive, and I am grateful for every day I get to experience this crazy but wonderful thing called life. Despite all the challenges, I can confidently say that I’m now in a good place, I’m happy to be here, and I’m still fighting for better health and a better lifestyle that’ll enable me to truly enjoy all that life has to offer. There is so much to do, so much to explore and experience. I’m not done yet!

Health Update

The status and stage of my cancer is currently unknown, but I feel like the alternative treatment that I am on, albeit expensive, is at least keeping me alive. The tumors are still there, but I just need to stick with the current treatment, as it’s my only option right now.

There is still no space available for me to receive oncology treatment in a government hospital. They won’t give me chemotherapy again as I’ve already been through that treatment. The next steps all involve procedures that would require me to stay in hospital for at least 5 days, and there is no guarantee that the other treatments would even work; they may even end up killing me.

Honestly, I’m not sad or mad that the government hospital doesn’t even have a space for me for those procedures because it scares me. Ideally, I would like to do immunotherapy through a private oncologist. We’re devising a plan to try and make this happen as the current alternative treatment that I am on does not seem to be very effective as the lumps/tumors are still present.

Overall, I feel great, and most of the Hodgkin Lymphoma symptoms have disappeared, except for the fact that I still have lymph lumps in many areas of my body. I feel like the treatment that I am currently on is indeed preventing the cancer from spreading into vital organs, but I need further, professional, scientific medical treatment (immunotherapy) in order to kill the cancer for good. Until then, I’m sticking to the alternative treatment protocol.

Wealth Update

I would love to build a life in which I can thrive, but my Autism and ADHD still make that challenging. But I am finally being medicated for it, and I hope that, in time, I can become more consistent in my endeavors and actually get back into business, art, music, and content creation—and hopefully follow through and stick with it so that I can (hopefully) build a life for myself where I am no longer reliant on social grants, donations, or sponsorships. I have been doing a lot better since being on the ADHD medication, but the jury is still out on whether or not it’ll actually enable me to finally build a life for myself. Only time will tell.

Thanks to the SASSA grant, and to those supporting me via the Buy Me a Coffee platform, through PayPal, and other means, the occasional music royalties that I receive, including years of saving, and making use of a credit card, I have finally been able to replace my dying iMac with a new Mac Mini M4. This will enable me to get back to “work”—doing things, or at least attempting to do things that generate wealth. I could get back into web and graphic design, DJ’ing (live-streaming/live-mixing) at online virtual venues, producing more music, creating digital art, and also keep myself entertained through video games, rather than staring at the wall all day and slowly losing my sanity.

I now once again have the tools to do things that’ll hopefully result in a steady income over time, allowing me to build up enough wealth to realize my goals and dreams, or to at least live a more fulfilling life—or at least be less of a financial burden on others.

But once again, due to my Autism and ADHD, only time will tell if I will actually manage to remain consistent in my endeavors and to build wealth consistently to the point where I can become financially independent and self-reliant. Will I be able to build some wealth? We’ll have to wait and see, but I am trying my best, and I will continue to do what I can, with what I have, to the best of my abilities. I’m not giving up!

As for the current state of affairs: I’m still in need of financial assistance, especially with regards to immunotherapy treatment for cancer, and I am truly grateful to those who are able to assist, as the small disability grant that I receive from SASSA doesn’t even cover my medication or basic needs such as food and housing. Please help me if you can! You can buy me a coffee (once-off donation) or become a member to support me on an ongoing basis.

Thank you for your support!

#Personal #Cancer #ADHD