Combatting the cost of cancer, in style

Over R120 000 was recently raised in support of the non-profit breast cancer support organisation Reach For Recovery at this year’s Kamers/Makers artisan market in Stellenbosch, according to Magdel Kemp, co-owner of Kamers/Makers. 

The funds were raised by selling tickets to a fashion show that was held twice on 27 October at Blaauwklippen Wine Estate. This was also where the market took place from 25 until 30 October, said Kemp. She added that approximately 80 tickets were sold. 

The 30 models showcased designs from local brands and are all breast cancer survivors, according to Marli du Toit, a survivor and brand ambassador for Reach For Recovery. 

^{“The fashion show celebrates a return to femininity. Because Kamers is all about fashion, fun and creativity, we wanted to combine that with the message of survivorship,” said Kayang Gagiano, the special projects coordinator for Reach For Recovery. For Marli du Toit, a breast cancer survivor and ambassador for Reach For Recovery, this message of survivorship means “fighting this thing, and then throwing glitter on it”. VIDEO: Jean-Marie Uys}

The price of prostheses

All proceeds from the show will go towards the organisation’s breast prostheses Ditto Project, said Kayang Gagiano, the special projects coordinator for Reach For Recovery. 

“We’ve spent over R6 million [over the last 11 years] creating silicone prostheses for women who’ve had mastectomies, and who cannot afford reconstructive surgeries,” she said. 

A mastectomy is the surgical removal of a breast necessary for treating inflammatory or advanced cancer, according to Dr Barend van den Bergh, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Gauteng. 

“Silicone-based prostheses is a very popular, and very good outcome surgery for mastectomies and for immediate reconstruction,” said Van den Bergh. 

However, he added that a big part of South African society cannot afford the total cost of care. This amounts to anything between R100 000 and R150 000, with most low-income medical aids excluding reconstructive surgery, according to Van den Bergh.

^{“It’s not a disease that is sexist, ageist, [or] racist. Everyone can get breast cancer,” said Dr Barend van den Bergh, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Gauteng. PHOTOS: Jean-Marie Uys}

Time is of the essence

Linda Mzilikezi, a survivor and model in the fashion show, said that the biggest problem in the public healthcare sector is the time it takes to see a doctor. 

“Generally speaking, we have half the efficiency in state than we have in private [healthcare],” said Van den Bergh. It sometimes happens that women don’t see a doctor for a month after having been to a clinic, he added. 

“By the time [patients] come to see the doctor, it is too late already,” said Mzilikezi. 

^{Dr Barend van den Bergh, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Netcare Milpark Hospital, pointed out that diagnoses are “moving more towards younger age groups”. This comes after he operated on a 27-year-old woman with aggressive breast cancer, and before speaking to MatieMedia. GRAPHIC: Instagram/reach_for_recovery_rsa}

Reclaiming femininity

“The show is about the survivors [and] giving them a day to reclaim their femininity,” Du Toit said. 

She explained how breast cancer takes away “every last thing you use to signal to the world that you’re female”, including hair, breasts, eyelashes, and nails. 

“To look into the mirror and not know that person was heartbreaking,” she said. “I wasn’t sure that I could come out again, dress up and care enough to put on lipstick.”

For Du Toit, the show aimed to communicate the rebirth of survivors after no evidence of disease has been detected.

“There are a lot of emotions in between, and you just think about death. You don’t realise that there is still life after the diagnosis. So today, we are celebrating life,” said Mzilikezi.

Also read: Fun-racing for breast cancer