Over R11 000 was recently raised in support of a local resident battling breast cancer.
This is according to Chantelle van Dyk, the recipient of the money raised through the Run for Chantelle fun run, which took place in Kylemore on 17 September.
Olka Polka Skips, a waste collection and recycling company, organised the fun run.
Chantelle van Dyk was the beneficiary of the Run for Chantelle breast cancer fundraising event that recently took place in Kylemore. Over R11 000 was raised at the event, which will help fund Van Dyk’s breast cancer treatment and related medical costs, she said. PHOTO: Supplied/Chantelle van Dyk
Over 150 people attended the event, according to Natasha Engela, the manager of Olka Polka Skips.
“We were so stunned at the amount of people who showed up at the race,” said Engela.
Combating cancer
The funds raised through ticket sales from the event will help Van Dyk cover her treatments and other medical costs not covered by her medical aid, she explained.
Van Dyk was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she said. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is set to have a double mastectomy, she stated.
Van Dyk will also have to have her ovaries removed, as her cancer is “hormonal positive”, she said.
Olka Polka Skips, a waste removal and recycling company, recently hosted a Run for Chantelle fundraiser in aid of Chantelle van Dyk, a Stellenbosch resident who is currently battling breast cancer. Due to a family history of cancer, the business set out to be cancer aware and aid those suffering from the disease at its outset, said Natasha Engela, manager at Olka Polka Skips. PHOTOS: Supplied/Chantelle van Dyk
The cost of care
While good government services are available for those seeking breast cancer treatment, it can take very long for someone suffering from the disease to receive this help, said Dr Shahista Khan, a specialist physician at Netcare Krugersdorp. The delay in access to treatment is due to the number of people needing it, she said.
“With cancer, time counts,” said Khan. “The time that is taken to try and get that care in the public sector, and access to that care, is a problem. Therefore private care becomes the way that people go to get early care.”
Treatment becomes quite costly, as there are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy costs, said Khan. “This can actually put entire families into debt,” she explained.
Currently, Khan is dealing with a patient whose breast cancer treatment is not covered by her insurance, resulting in costs of over R1.5 million, she stated.
Early cancer detection saves lives, said Chantelle van Dyk, a Stellenbosch resident currently battling breast cancer. Unfortunately, early treatment is not always accessible through government programmes due to the number of people waiting to receive care, said Dr Shahista Khan, a specialist physician at Netcare Krugersdorp. In order to receive urgent care, many people seek treatment in the private sector, which can amount to thousands of rands, she added. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
‘Early detection can save lives’
Olka Polka Skips was intended to be a cancer-aware business at its outset in July, stated Engela.
“There’s a history behind the business,” she said, explaining that her sister-in-law’s father suffered from colon cancer a few years ago, and passed away from the disease in 2020.
Van Dyk is personally connected to the company, as her brother-in-law is the owner. Van Dyk, who had been in remission, found out her cancer had returned a month after the company started, Engela explained.
Van Dyk stated that both she and the company are committed to raising cancer awareness.
“Women should go for a mammogram at least once a year and feel their [breasts] once a week,” said Van Dyk. “Breast cancer is real and it is out there. Early detection can save lives.”