Community opens heart to severely ill Addo teenager

Despite being severely ill and fighting a daily struggle against cancer, an Addo teenager, her face badly swollen, managed to whisper a quick “thank you” to well-wishers who arrived at her home on Thursday.

Anesipho, 19, who has cancer of the face and jaw, has undergone several chemotherapy and radiation therapy sessions to reduce the size of the growth before doctors can operate.

Her next appointment at Gqeberha’s Livingstone Hospital, where her progress will be assessed, is on April 20.

After a Facebook post about her deteriorating health did the rounds, kind-hearted citizens donated R9,500 towards the teenager’s medical treatment and other costs. 

Alerted to  her plight, non-profit organisation the Khula Development Project and government entities have also banded together to help Anesipho live a dignified life filled with hope for the future.

Petros Majola of the Khula project visited the family  on Thursday,  where a prayer session a organised.

“The most important thing that we came here to do was to motivate the child,” Majola said.

Sassa spokesperson Tabisa Nondwayi-Mayaba said it received a request from Majola to assist and on March 26, Anesipho had received a permanent disability grant. 

The department had also provided a grant in aid for Anesipho’s caregiver.

Anesipho, who had been living with her aunt in Peddie, and was in grade 11 at Qhayiya Senior Secondary School, noticed a  small growth on her face in mid-2022.

It quickly got bigger.

“It was about May or June 2022, when she started to complain about a pimple that was sore on her face — she would ask to leave during break time to go to the clinic, because of the pain,” her grade 11 mathematics literacy class teacher, Ziphiwozihle Thomas, said.

The teenager later moved to Addo to be with her parents.

Anesipho’s father, Vusumzi Lukashe, 39, said doctors at a clinic in Peddie who first examined her said they believed a bone was  growing in her jaw and needed to be removed.

But when his daughter’s condition worsened to the point that she could not write her exams, she was referred to Settlers Hospital in Makhanda for a diagnosis, and then to Livingstone Hospital in January.

“The lump on her face was already bigger than a fist,” Lukashe said.

“Inside her mouth the swelling had covered her teeth.

“A piece of tissue was removed to run tests, where they sent us to the oncology department.

“One of the doctors told us that she had cancer.

“She started to battle to breathe, because her throat was blocked by the swelling.

“Towards the end of February, she was operated on and she is using a pipe to breathe through her throat,” Lukashe said.

Lukashe said he all he wanted was for his daughter to get her health back, adding that he would do anything to take away her pain.

He was profoundly grateful for all the support the family had received.

“We were really battling with transport money, because we would need to take three taxis just to get to Livingstone Hospital.

“The whole trip would cost R200 — I would be forced to borrow money from loan sharks as a means of being able to transport her to hospital.

“I live with my wife and I am the only person who is working. I would like to say thank you to everyone who made donations,” Lukashe said.

Anesipho said the pain was still unbearable.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped me by donating money.”

She said though she missed the simple things in life, she was confident she would recover.

“I miss eating meat and solid food. I was afraid when I battled to breathe.

“I just want to be OK again, but I am still optimistic.

“I get my courage to face each day from the people that I live with at home. I do not feel as lonely,” she said.

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