Shanaya Govender has b*attled Ewing’s S*arcoma, a rare form of bone c*ancer, since the age of 3 and is about to take on her 4th round of ch*emo to f*ight it.
Roodepoort, Johannesburg – Shanaya initially became i*ll on the 14th April 2017 when she woke up in the middle of the night s*creaming with p*ain in her left arm and a f*ever of 41.
She was rushed to e*mergency and referred to an o*rthopaedic specialist who d*iagnosed her with O*steomyelitis. 6 theatre visits, countless tests and scans by numerous specialists and her arm persisted to swell to more than 3 times its original size.
“In September 2017, after 6 months of our princess being o*perated on and m*isdiagnosed, we received the life-changing news that no parent should ever hear. “I’m so sorry but your child does not have an i*nfection. She has a rare type of c*ancer called E*wing’s S*arcoma.
“U*nfortunately, it is stage four and has spread to both her l*ungs”, as parents, my husband, Shane (35) and I just sat frozen listening to what we thought was a bad dream.” – says Lee-Ann Govender (34), Shanaya’s mom.
After Shanaya received her d*iagnosis, regular b*lood t*ransfusions and a*ggressive ch*emotherapy followed. U*nfortunately, due to the massive size of her t*umour, Shanaya was not a suitable candidate for limb s*alvage s*urgery and her left arm was a*mputated from the shoulder on the 2 March 2018.
“It was difficult coming to terms with Shanaya l*osing her arm, but like everything that has come her way, she took it in her stride and came back stronger. She was instead comforting me, saying ‘Stop c*rying mommy, it doesn’t look so bad’” says Lee-Ann.
While the family has been approached by a number of individuals to assist Shanaya with a p*rosthetic arm, Shanaya has embraced her new reality and hopes to one day be like the professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton who l*ost her arm in a sh*ark attack.
Shanaya was finally on the road to recovery after she l*ost her arm, but in July 2018, the family learned the t*roubling news that Shanaya’s c*ancer had resurfaced and spread to multiple spots her legs and her pelvis.
“Shanaya started l*imping and underwent high r*adiation to her left leg and left side pelvis. Then in December both her eyes started s*welling and scans revealed c*ancer cells behind her left sinus cavity and Shanaya had to undergo r*adiation for the third time in a year” – says Lee-Ann.
In an act of solidarity, the family shaved their heads, when Shanaya faced the emotional setback of once again l*osing her hair she loves so much.
To date, Shanaya has been in and out of h*ospital approximately 26 times and has been unable to attend school since April 2017. Shanaya has also been unable to walk since July 2018.
With her condition w*orsening, Lee-ann had no choice but to a*bandoned her career to give Shanaya the full care and support she needs, as a result, the family was f*orced to downscale their lifestyle and s*urvive as a one income household.
To support the family with funds to help cover their bond, electricity, transportation to and from the h*ospital, special dietary requirements, as well as additional m*edical expenses not covered by their m*edical aid, a campaign has been created on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy.
The campaign went live on the 6 April 2018 and has thus far raised a total of R 55 039.14 with contributions from 76 donors.
This month, Shanaya began a new ch*emotherapy protocol aimed at stabilizing the progression of her d*isease.
“We don’t know what the future holds for her as this is the 4th ch*emotherapy t*reatment plan she is on so we live each day as it comes. The world of childhood c*ancer is s*cary and we never wish it upon anyone but it’s a reality that so many parents have to face. We hope the public will continue to support our BackaBuddy campaign and keep Shanaya in their prayers as she continues her f*ight” – says Lee-Ann.
“Regardless of her severe p*ain, d*isability or circumstances, this princess always wakes up smiling, ever ready to dress up and pose. Her positivity, f*ight and determination has given us strength as her parents to fight this f*ight with her.” – says Lee-Ann
You can help support Shanaya through her ch*emo here.