DAD KICKS CANCER TO THE CURB AFTER RECEIVING LIFE-SAVING SURGERY FOR FREE
There is no love like that of a father.
Not too long ago, two South-African teenagers were on the verge of losing that love and there was nothing they could do about it.
A close-knit family
Leonard van Rhyn (45) was the head of his loving and close-knit family. His wife and two teenagers looked up to him and they were his pride and joy. Being outdoors on the weekend, supporting his athletic children with his wife while they competed was the highlight of Leonard’s week.
No-one could have known that his carefree family-oriented life would soon be disrupted in the cruelest manner.
A great shock
The Van Rhyn-family was not prepared for the news when Leonard was diagnosed with skin cancer. The cancer was not caught early, which means that by the time he was diagnosed it had grown into his ear canal and drum. Not only was it immensely painful, but it was clear that without an operation Leonard would most certainly die. The problem was that this was an operation that Leonard could not possibly afford.
Getting help
Things started to look up for the Van Rhyn family when Operation Healing Hands heard of Leonard’s case. Operation Healing Hands is a non-profit organisation that provides surgery to patients in need. A specialist team of three surgeons operated on Leonard for twelve hours to remove the cancer – completely free of charge!
The way forward
As is the case with most cancer patients, Leonard still had a way to go after surgery. Several sessions of radiotherapy were needed before he was able to be pronounced cancer-free. At the end of his journey, however, Leonard was able to return to his wife and children and resume his life as father and family-man, cheering on his children on the sports field and in life.
~ Article by Magriet Stander