A Johannesburg cancer survivor has dedicated a decade of her life caring for breast cancer patients and helping them live a normal life again.

Maryanne Maruping, 72, was working as a nurse at Alexandra Clinic when she discovered she had breast cancer.

"I used to have respiratory infections and lung X-rays depicted me as a smoker when, in fact, I was a passive smoker. When they told me I had cancer I was actually relieved because it revealed the cause of the infection in my lungs. I just accepted it and went for a mastectomy (removal of a breast) and then took radiation therapy," she said.

Maruping, who has been cancer-free for the past 15 years, is among a group of breast cancer survivors who volunteer at Reach for Recovery to provide support to other cancer patients.

Every Wednesday the retired nurse visits cancer patients at the oncology ward at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital to give them support and share personal information on how to beat the disease.

Yesterday Maruping and other volunteers watched as Beulah Jankelowitz, national coordinator of Reach for Recovery, accepted a cheque of R232524 from the SA Mushroom Farmers' Association (Samfa) and Pick n Pay at a breakfast meeting in Johannesburg. The money will be used to buy silicone prosthesis for women who can not afford reconstruction.

Ross Richardson of Samfa said research conducted in China, the US and Australia revealed that a daily serving of white button mushrooms reduce chances of getting breast cancer.