Port of call with Riva Schoeman and the Centurion Hospice Centurion Hospice

It is almost two years since the Covid-19 virus was first identified in Wuhan in China. Middle September 4.55 million deaths were record and 219 million people contracted the virus.

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions. These conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time. Experts coined this Covid long hauler. These post-Covid conditions can stay with you for the rest of your life.

Our telephonic guest is Tersia Burger, the CEO of Steppingstone Hospice in Johannesburg. Tersia was among the first people who contracted the virus in South Africa. After almost 400 days, she still suffers from the after-effects, and she might life with it for the rest of her life. Our in-studio guest is Philip Aucamp, social worker at Centurion Hospice. Welcome Tersia and thank you for sharing your Covid-19 story.

Seks, seksualiteit en intimiteit is net so belangrik vir mense wat met kanker gediagnoseer is as vir diegene wat nie kanker het nie. Trouens, navorsing het bewys dat seks ’n groot rol kan speel om mense te help om hulle kankerdiagnose in die gesig te staar – intimiteit kan hulle ook help om te ontspan terwyl hulle kankerbehandeling ondergaan. Maar die realiteit is dat ’n persoon se seksorgane, seksuele drange, en liggaamsbeeld so beïnvloed kan word dat die lus vir bedplesiere net nie meer daar is nie. Ons bespreek vandag ’n baie sensitiewe onderwerp, waaroor mense nie graag wil praat nie. Maar dit is iets waaroor ons moet praat – hoe ‘n kankerdiagnose jou seksuele gesondheid beïnvloed het. By ons in die ateljee is Suzaan Lourens, ’n berader en seksuoloog en ook Centurion Hospcie se eie Philip Aucamp – hy is nie vandag hier as maatskaplike werker nie, maar as ’n man wat ‘n pad met kolonkanker geloop het, en hoe dit ook sy huwelik en seksuele drange beïnvloed het. Welkom julle en baie dankie dat julle bereid is om met ons te gesels.

Daar word oor die algemeen geglo dat georganiseerde ondersteuningsgroepe ’n moderne verskynsels is, maar eintlik kan die eerste ondersteuningsgroep teruggevoer word na die laat agtiende eeu. ’n Psigiater by ’n psigiatriese hospitaal in Frankryk het begin om voormalige pasiënte as personeel aan te stel wat hulle ervaring met pasiënte kon deel. Dit het vining duidelik geword dat die gemene deler die pasiënte se stories was. Deur hulle stories met ander te deel het daar aanvaarding asook ’n mate van berusting te kom. Die motto was dat “almal dieselfde pyn en afwykings deel; ons reageer net almal op ’n verskillende manier.

Dié tipe ondersteuningsgroepe het in die sewentigerjare begin uitbrei en het meer ontvattend geraak; dit het nie net psigiatriese pasiënte ingesluit nie, maar ook ander morele en sosiale probleme soos verslawing en verlies ingesluit.

Vandag word ondersteuningsgroepe in bykans alle gesondheidsektore voortgestaan. En gesondheidswerkers beskou dié groepe as ’n effektiewe manier om na die gemeenskap uit te reik, om kwaliteit te verbeter en om gesondheidsongelykhede te verminder. Die belangrikste is egter dat mense ondersteuningsgroepe nodig het.

Centurion Hospice het een van die sterkste en grootste ondersteuningsgroepe in Centurion en reik nie net na mense uit wat met lewensbedreigende siektes gediagnoseer is nie, maar ook na dié wat met die pyn en verlies van ’n geliefde so dood moet saamleef.

By ons in die ateljee is Annette Reed, die hoofuitvoerendebeampte van Centurion Hospice en Philip Aucamp, maatskaplike werker van dié hospice

Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer globally and locally, and is showing significant increases. Research indicates that South African men have a 1:17 risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Men are usually humiliated when prostate cancer (a taboo topic) is discussed. Women, on the other hand, will dig deeply into the causes and effects of breast and cervical cancer.

The reasons for the latter might be that men refuse to think about it, resulting in not knowing about the disease; and not being examined by a doctor. This is of course, very dangerous and could be fatal.

There are several awareness campaigns abroad and locally every year  to inspiredmen who have been treated for  prostate cancer,  discuss the side effects, including  the loss of libido and erectile dysfunction, and how it affected their lives.

Interesting enough black men  are more prone to prostate cancer than white men.

We have two very special guests in studio who will enlighten as about his topic and grab the bull by its horns so to speak.

Andrew Oberholser is the CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa and our in-studio guest is Osie van der Merwe, who was, luckily, diagnosed early with prostate cancer, and survived to share his tale.

Laetitia Swanepoel had it all; a wonderful husband, three adorable kids, and a beautiful family home. She was a successful businesswoman before tragedy struck in 2016; her two year old son Gustaf drowned in a swimming pool while he was supposed to be sleeping. A year later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Another year later their home burnt down – and the family was left with nothing. They moved into their garage where they stayed for a couple of months.

Laetitia, however, became an ambassador for Centurion Hospice, and a motivational speaker. But earlier this year she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which was slowly eating its way into her lower vertebrae, pelvis, hip joint, femur and brain. She has undergone intensive radiation therapy, but she is still trying to make a difference in people’s lives by sharing her cancer journey with thousands of people on her Facebook Page. Cancer has messed with the wrong girl! We are very blessed to welcome Laetitia as a guest on this podcast.

Aasvoëls, addergebroedsels. Dit is die name wat dikwels gebruik word om na die media of joernaliste te verwys. “Die aasvoëls, sak op ons toe,” het Amor Vittone briesend gebibber na haar bekende man Joost van der Westhuizen se dood. Selfs mense wat nie sterstatus het nie, het al gekla dat hulle deur die media verpes word na die afsterwe van ‘n geliefde. En as die geraamtes uit die kaste begin tuimel word daar nog harder met die media geraas. Wat is die media se rol by tye van ‘n bekende of ‘n gewone Jan Rap se  dood? Het ‘n gestorwene enigsins privaatheid? Hoe raak Wet 61 van die Wet op Nasionale Gesondheid pasiënte? Mag die media jou mediese rekords aan die wêreld uitbasuin?  En hoe raak die POPI-wetgewing die media se werk? By ons in die ateljee is AJ Opperman, bekende kuns- en kultuurjoernalis van Netwerk 24, en Helene Viljoen, die interne regsadviseur van die Caxton-groep. Welkom julle en dankie dat julle deel is van dié interessante potgooi.