Focusing on the positive

Posted on 3 October 2016

Denise Goussard was in remission after breast cancer treatment but was later diagnosed with leukaemia. Despite the many challenges, she remains brave and positive. Here she shares her story.

‘I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2013. After chemotherapy, radiation and quite a few surgeries, I went into remission for about 18 months. At my next check-up, we found it had returned and I was also diagnosed with leukaemia,’ says 34-year-old Denise.

Watch as Denise shares her story

The long wait for a donor

‘Denise was diagnosed with adult acute myeloid leukaemia, which is sometimes caused by radiation and chemotherapy treatment,’ explains haematologist Dr Mike Du Toit of Mediclinic Constantiaberg, who has been treating her.

Denise critically needs a bone marrow transplant. Her brother, who was her best chance of finding a match, as siblings have a one in four chance of being a donor match, was tested but unfortunately is not a match.

The search then turned to the South African Bone Marrow Registry, where the chances were less in Denise’s favour. Dr Du Toit explains that a patient only has a 1 in 100 000 chance of getting a random bone marrow match.

After a long wait, Denise still does not have a bone marrow match, leaving only very risky treatment options. Yet she remains positive – not only for the sake of her three young children and husband, but because she knows there are still people worse off than herself.

‘However bad my own situation is, I look around me in the ward, and I see patients who are even worse off than me. Then I know I have a lot to be grateful for, and I would still choose my own situation above these other possible scenarios,’ she reveals.

Holistic care at Mediclinic Constantiaberg

Denise says that the level of care she received at the Mediclinic Constantiaberg Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, also known as the Sunflower Ward, has been vital to her peace of mind.

‘The nurses don’t keep anything back. They would share some of themselves, and they are extremely good listeners as well. I’m a talker, and they always have an ear to listen, regardless of how busy the wards were or how much work they had to do,’ she says.

Sister Pat Whelan, manager of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, affirms that they focus on holistic care in the ward. ‘We treat the patients, together with their families, physiologically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. We follow a journey with them, from their diagnosis right through their treatment,’ she says.

Longing for her little ones

Though she and her family are based in Zambia, Denise has been living with her in-laws in the Western Cape to be close to Mediclinic Constantiaberg for her treatment. The separation from her husband and children has been challenging, but she is most looking forward to seeing them again over the December holidays. ‘Their love and support, even from a long distance, has been my sanctuary during these difficult times,’ she says.

How you can help

Denise hopes that by sharing her story more people will be encouraged to join the South African Bone Marrow Registry and give hope to people like her. Registering to become a donor is easy and painless. To find out more about becoming a donor, visit www.sabmr.co.za.