The fight continues…

On this day, July 21, 2025, I’ve been diagnosed with a recurrence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymphatic system for which I was previously treated. After being cancer-free for about 7 years since my last treatment, then discovering lumps after a muscle injury last year, and after a year battling a slow government healthcare system to find out why I have lymph lumps again, and after a complicated and painful surgery and biopsy, I finally have the answer; It’s not the answer I had hoped for—I was hoping it was related to the muscle injury and/or an easily treatable infection, but nope—it’s cancer.

I’m now once again waiting on government healthcare to get me an appointment date to start chemotherapy at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria (Tshwane). I was hoping that I could get treated locally here in Polokwane, but they are unable to treat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma here. I have to go back to Pretoria. At least this time, I do not have to pay for my own transport.

The government has a patient shuttle service that runs daily—no need for me to pay for fuel, toll fees, and overnight stays at a guesthouse. The shuttle can take me there and back on the same day of treatment, provided that I show up at the exact right time and can handle traveling with strangers—something that’s extremely difficult for me due to my autism and ADHD. That said, I want to live. I still have unfinished business and goals to achieve, so I will do my best to be on time and to attend every necessary treatment session. Now it’s just a matter of time and some more waiting—waiting for Steve Biko to contact me (via my mother, since I don’t do phone calls) to provide an appointment date for treatment to begin, and hoping I can once again survive the treatment itself because last time, it nearly killed me.

Honestly, I’m feeling utterly defeated and overwhelmed right now but I’ve beaten this before and I will beat it again. The fight continues…

Fuck Cancer!

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UPDATE Fri Jul 25, 2025: I’ll be starting chemotherapy on the 19th of August, 2025—getting 6 treatments in total; once every 2 weeks. I’ll beat Cancer again before the end of the year!

#Personal #Cancer