Working With Cancer
Forbes Woman Africa|September/November 2018

After battling months of treatment, cancer survivors often find a bigger struggle waiting for them when they return to work – the apathy of employers to reintegrate them into the system.

Melitta Ngalonkulu
Working With Cancer

BRENDA SWANEPOEL (NAME changed to protect identity) calls herself “a breast cancer warrior”.The 40-something, who works as a business developer in one of South Africa’s largest law firms, has endured the horror, discomfort and pain of the much-feared doctor’s verdict – “you have cancer!”.

We meet Swanepoel on a week day in her Johannesburg office. Beneath her warm exterior is a woman still grappling with her diagnosis, still battling to adjust to life in the workplace in the aftermath of the ensuing treatment.

“I was in the shower in December 2016 and something in me said ‘check your breast’. I used to be fairly diligent about it but I hadn’t gone for a mammogram for a long time,” she says.

She clearly felt a lump. “It was the size of a lymph node. I thought I better not be procrastinating this so I went to a radiologist,” says Swanepoel.

The doctor told her she suspected breast cancer. The words cut deep into her being, eating her up as cancer does.

“When he told me that it could be breast cancer, I knew I had cancer. I was lying on the bed and one little tear crept out of my eye.”

That evening, she got home and told her partner of 25 years that the vacations they were intending on taking on weekends would be replaced by visits to the oncologist.

In January last year, the doctor confirmed she had cancer. Her life was going to change forever.

For the next six months, cancer dictated her diary. Seeing other cancer patients at the oncologist’s ward when she went for her first chemotherapy brought a further sense of denial.

“I was like this is not really happening,” says Swanepoel.

But the reality of cancer would soon kick in. She underwent the first of three operations within a week of being diagnosed.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September/November 2018 من Forbes Woman Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September/November 2018 من Forbes Woman Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من FORBES WOMAN AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
Well-Grounded
Forbes Woman Africa

Well-Grounded

Coco Cachalia, whose mother Amina was among the 20,000 in the Women’s March of August 1956, made a decision to stay away from politics – and succeed in business instead.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
Art Becomes Her
Forbes Woman Africa

Art Becomes Her

A celebrated international fine artist, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi overcame the struggles of apartheid, and her work is grounded in her past.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'
Forbes Woman Africa

'Not Just Pro-Women But Pro-Progress'

South Africa’s Minister of Women Susan Shabangu on the significance of the 61st anniversary of Women’s Day, and the role men can play in ending gender violence in South Africa and creating an equal society.

time-read
6 mins  |
August-September 2017
Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA
Forbes Woman Africa

Diversity And Inclusion Are Part Of Baker Mckenzie's DNA

According to Law360’s 2017 Glass Ceiling Report, women make up around one-third of the attorneys in private legal practice. Among the law firms surveyed, just below 23% of partners are female.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
We, Men For Women
Forbes Woman Africa

We, Men For Women

South Africa still has a long way to go for gender justice in business and in life, but with more men openly stepping forward to be a part of the discourse, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to two male entrepreneurs, a CEO and a social activist. They acknowledge diversity makes smart social and economic sense that will benefit all.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August-September 2017
What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?
Forbes Woman Africa

What, After All, Does Feminism Have To Do With Men?

According to the seminal African-American writer bell hooks (her name is not capitalized), feminism is for everybody.

time-read
3 mins  |
August-September 2017
Blood, Setbacks And Tears
Forbes Woman Africa

Blood, Setbacks And Tears

Two sisters with common failures and a dream to eventually succeed.

time-read
2 mins  |
August-September 2017
Fighting To The End
Forbes Woman Africa

Fighting To The End

In May, 82 more Chibok girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Oby Ezekwesili, a strong advocate in the campaign to bring them back, has vowed to never stop fighting. 

time-read
2 mins  |
June-July 2017
Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work
Forbes Woman Africa

Not Just Hard Work, But Heart Work

As incidents of gender-based violence increase in Africa, those like Nigeria’s Kemi Dasilva-Ibru, are trying to bring relief to stigmatized victims.

time-read
5 mins  |
June-July 2017
Going Down The Spice Route
Forbes Woman Africa

Going Down The Spice Route

Essie Bartels worked several odd jobs she hated before opening a company selling mouth-watering spices and sentiments to the world.

time-read
4 mins  |
June-July 2017