Cancer survivor says faith healed her
Pini Bothoko | Friday May 9, 2014 13:51
Wikipedia describes nasopharynx cancer as a rare type of the disease that affects the head and neck. It starts in the upper part of the throat, behind the nose and this is the area called the nasopharynx. It is precariously placed at the base of the skull, above the roof of the mouth.
Kgomotso whose names translate to “My light” and “Comfort”, which conjures positivism in life, said that she was diagnosed with this cancer in May 2012 when she was doing Form Four at Francistown Senior Secondary School. She described that time as the most difficult of her life.
“Whether I felt ready or not it was crystal clear that there was a change in my life, but I had to face it,” she said, ensconced in the comfort of the newsroom couch.
Kgomotso had exultantly glided into Mmegi offices to talk about how she overcame a disease that usually results in a fatality.
She said she was talking about the disease to give other victims hope that cancer can be cured.
Oozing confidence of a true conqueror, Kgomotso was unrestrained as she narrated her story.
She said: “It started with a slight headache that I did not pay attention to but, as times went on, the headache became more intense. It came to a point where I could no longer handle it anymore.”
She said that she had to start her treatment right away and the it was not easy because at a certain point she lost all of her hair and that was the time she went into a bottomless abyss of despair.
“At the same time a light was twinkling in the distance. In my hopelessness, I discovered my faith in God and that kept me going.
“I remember at a certain point I felt like there were two different people living inside me. With that pain, I was a child living in an adult body. It was not easy, I felt so burdened, my spirit was vacant and I often wondered what I had done to deserve such debilitating pain.
“Firstly, I used the little energy I could muster to fight this despair. My quest was to reclaim my innocent life, “ she said.
Kgomotso philosophised that when a person comes upon a traumatic experience like cancer, the first question that comes to the victim’s mind is to ask God, “Why me?”
This is exactly what first came into her mind and she kept on asking that same question countless times.
Kgomotso, said she went a step further by resentfully challenging Christ to reveal His vaunted love.
“At that time I was desperate for nothing but the truth. I was so desperate for a new beginning and I direly needed a makeover and He (God) gently answered my questions.
“All of a sudden that pain, which had alienated me from the people I love, leaving me all alone, disappeared and I knew my faith in God healed me,” she said.
She continued: “I felt ashamed of who I was and what cancer had done to me. I remember telling God how much this cancer had destroyed me and the pain I was feeling.
“The next morning I felt His love and I instantly began to believe that I was healed.”
She said that her family was with her throughout her sickness giving her love and support and their prayers gave her hope.
“My grandmother is the person who assisted me much more during that time, family members visited me in hospital where they always prayed for me and pleaded with God’s mercy to heal me. They always made sure they bathed, fed and brought me gifts whilst I was hospitalised,” she said.
She said that she was told that there was a possibility that one of her ancestors was once diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer because it is genetic.
She said at that time even thoughts of her life ending at 18 years crept in, but now she is happy that she has attained 20 and still going strong.
Kgomotso encouraged members of the public to have hope if diagnosed with cancer because there is nothing like ‘cancer kills’ and that there is life and hope after cancer.
She said that even though her sickness disturbed her studies, she still hopes that she has a chance to apply to further her studies and her ambition is to one day be a professional social worker.
“Do not wait until it is too late for cancer to be treated. Take preventative measures to ensure you live a healthy and happy life. To avoid premature death, go for early treatment because cancer can be cured in its early stage,” said Kgomotso.
Kgomotso’s grandmother Tabulawa said it was one of the most difficult times their family had gone through, but their faith in God was with them throughout.
“We were shocked when told that she was diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer because no one in our family had ever been diagnosed with it before. We gave her all the support. We made sure she attended doctor’s appointments and made sure to provide whatever the doctor needed,” said Tabulawa.
Tabulawa called on parents not to delay taking their children to hospital when they fall sick as it can delay the treatment process. She said her granddaughter was cured of the disease because they acted timely to take her to the hospital.