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Cancer survivor Dineo soldiers on

Dineo Mokhele, a 35-year-old cervical cancer survivor, has fought a lot of adversity in her life.

Mokhele has also been living with a disease called lupus since 2008.

Lupus is a chronic, auto-immune disease that can damage any part of the body, including skin, joints, and/or organs.

In Mokhele's case, her immune system was for a long time suppressed by medication and could not fight off viruses and infections.

Her battle with cervical cancer began when she was diagnosed in February last year and went into remission later that year.

Mokhele says her face, including her throat, often swells up as a result of the lupus.

She says sometimes when her joints swell, she is rendered totally immobile.

The senior administration clerk from the East Rand says it is difficult living with the lupus because she is "gradually getting worse".

Her nails and gums are getting noticeably damaged, while her voice is also breaking but Mokhele is hopeful she will get better and manage the disease.

She adds that she hopes to make the public more aware of the challenges that lupus patients have to live with.

"I want to raise awareness about the challenges brought about by the disease. God has been great. When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer I was told the cancer was aggressive." she says.

 

"I told them to operate on me to rid my body of the cancer-riddled parts.

"My husband died of pancreatic cancer in 2012."

Mokhele says she always prays that God save her for the sake of her three children, aged between 12 and 16.

She says her faith in God is what activates her strength and resistance whenever she feels down.

Mokhele says stress is the key trigger for lupus. She says she cannot afford to be over-excited or extremely angry or depressed as these may trigger the disease.

 

"Lupus symptoms can be more severe than HIV because a person with HIV can manage their lifestyle and take medication.

"It's not the same for a person who suffers from lupus. Our condition can only be managed but does not guarantee that the patient will live for a long time.

"In this condition, I cannot afford to fall pregnant because the pregnancy would be a very difficult one."

She first fell ill when she came back from Swaziland where she had been living with her late husband while she was still in her 20s.

She describes that period as a highly stressful time in her life.

When the lupus started, "my body would break out in angry allergic rashes.

"The doctor I consulted at the time misdiagnosed me and said it was only an allergy.

A year later I went to another doctor who told me that I had auto-immune disorder."

To manage the illness, Mokhele says she is often on different medicines and also takes cortisone to stabilise her glandular disorder, arthritis and breathing problems.

The aim of cortisone, she explains, is to suppress her immune system because it is already hyper active and causes her body to attack itself.

She takes tablets three times a day, along with vitamins C and D.

"My advice to those who are going through this is that they must have faith in God. Everything has its purpose and they should also follow their doctor's orders."

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