Junior school raises awareness about breast cancer

“There were no risk factors that might have led to my developing breast cancer. I was a healthy Springbok athlete, and no one in my family ever had breast cancer before. But at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Philippa Brinkmann, a breast cancer survivor and teacher at Rustenburg Girls Junior School (RGJS).

According to the site http://breastcancer.about.com/od/definition/a/bc_definition.htm breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Various events around the country raise awareness, remember the lives lost because of this disease, celebrate the survivors, and support those who are still fighting the battle.

Pam Heiberg, head of marketing at RGJS, said, “Sometimes things don’t seem real until they happen to someone close to you. When our teachers were diagnosed with breast cancer, suddenly it became real to us as a school. We first started selling ribbons to express our support, and this year we are raising funds for cancer charities.”

Brinkmann said, “When I was first diagnosed, my biggest emotion was fear. I was terrified. But with the help of doctors and people that surrounded me, and knowledge about what was happening, I felt in control. I had two surgeries: lump picking [removing the lump], double mastectomy [both breasts removed] and I went through chemotherapy.”

Karen Stevens,a grade 1 teacher from the school, said: “Yes, being diagnosed with breast cancer is a shock, but life goes on. There are early prevention methods, and in cases where it’s too late for those methods, support them [people with breast cancer].”

Coralie Thompson, the other breast cancer survivor teacher at RGJS, said, “I always wanted to go for a mammogram, but I never got round to it. Five months after my husband died because of brain cancer and visiting Mrs Brinkmann, I knew I just had to do it.”

She had radiation treatment, but only in the area that had cancer, meaning that there were less side effects, whereas with chemotherapy, after the first week of treatment, one’s hair usually starts falling out among other unpleasant side effects.

Thompson said, “The school was very supportive throughout. They gave us kindness and support that we didn’t understand. I remember when Mrs Brinkmann’s hair started falling, she shaved her head, and that day we all came to school wearing bandanas.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. According to the South African National Cancer Registry, one in 29 women in South Africa will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer, like other types of cancers, can be treated if it is detected early. It is important for women to examine their breasts regularly and to go for annual medical check-ups.