WE WON'T GIVE UP HOPE

Janique has a tumour in her neck that has gone from cancerous to benign-but she still has a long road to recovery ahead

- JANICE BECKETT-MSIZA

HE catches her breath after every word, her voice raspy from the effort of speaking. But this five­year­old from Bloemfontein is one bubbly kid – and she’s determined to say her piece no matter how hard it may be to form words.

Little Janique Venter communicates through a speaking valve because of a massive tumour located in her neck that’s pressing on her airways.

She was just six months old when she was diagnosed with stage 3 neuroblas­ toma, a cancer that’s most commonly found in the adrenal glands, but can also develop in the stomach, chest and neck.

Janique and her family had some good news recently: after undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy, her latest tests revealed the tumour no longer contained cancer cells.

For the little girl’s mom, Nadine Muk­ heibir, it’s been a rollercoaster of a journey.

“When the doctor told us she had cancer, I dropped to the floor and imme­ diately started crying,” she tells YOU.

“I felt like my whole world was ending. No parent ever wants to hear a thing like this, it was devastating. But we never gave up. I went on my knees crying that night and I prayed – I pray to a God of miracles and I knew that He would never give up on us.”

Janique is receiving an experimental new treatment now and although she still has a long road ahead of her, Nadine says her daughter’s positivity is keeping them all going.

“We’re just hoping that this tumour disappears. We know we have to be real­ istic about things, but we won’t give up hope,” she says.