21-07-2025
Giving hope to breast cancer sufferers
In a powerful show of compassion, Project Flamingo launched a campaign called Make Room For Her at Livingstone Hospital on Saturday.
The campaign is aimed at addressing the backlog in breast cancer surgeries in the country's public hospitals.
Despite their long schedules and call times, 15 volunteer doctors came together to provide seven women with much-needed mastectomy surgeries.
According to Michael Brombacher, the doctor leading the surgeries and the campaign, the project will drastically decrease the waiting time for patients needing operations.
'Before we started this project, patients were waiting a long time for surgeries,' he said.
'To get the diagnosis that you had breast cancer, and then be told you had to wait three months before you could start treatment, was a problem.
'Now we have been able to bring that waiting period down to an achievable time frame.
'You can see that sense of comfort on the patients' faces.
'The other aspect is the teamwork among the young doctors, and seeing them give their time and energy to help patients, and not be paid for it, that for me is huge.
'It also shows me that healthcare is in good hands.'
The campaign has been rolled out in Gqeberha, Cape Town, George, East London and Mdantsane.
It has brought together a group of volunteer surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff to assist women who have been stuck on waiting lists for breast cancer treatments.
Project Flamingo is a nonprofit and is committed to providing holistic support for women battling breast cancer in the public healthcare sector.
Since it started in 2010, the team has performed more than 1,800 breast cancer surgeries across the country.
The chief executive and founder of the organisation, Dr Liana Roodt, said it reflected the true spirit of Nelson Mandela.
'We are not just commemorating a rich history left by a remarkable man, we are changing lives.
'There is no greater way to honour a great leader than to proactively mirror his legacy of positive change.
'We are creating space for women to be heard, treated and to reclaim their health and dignity.
'Let's all 'make room for her' and for each other by the way we talk, think and act.
'Timely and dignified cancer care is not a privilege, it is a basic human right which should be protected and claimed.'
Angelita Davids, 48, was one of the patients to experience the positive impact of the campaign on her life.
After her diagnosis in May, she was added to the list of beneficiaries of the campaign.
She expressed how her life had already changed for the better.
'My mother had cancer, but I had no signs or symptoms,' she said.
'I just went for a routine check-up and they told me I must go for a mammogram.
'I had no money to do that, but they called me a few weeks later and told me I was part of this campaign.
'This is such an awesome programme.
'I was very scared about the surgery and coming here, but when I found out it would be a group of ladies who also have breast cancer, I relaxed because I knew I wouldn't be alone.
'I have made friends for life here.'
The Herald
