Cape Town mother turns to BackaBuddy to raise R230,000 after second cancer diagnosis

After surviving stage 3 breast cancer , a mother of two faces a second battle against the disease and an R230,790 bill for treatment she cannot afford.

When Berenice Dalwai was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, her first question to the doctor was not about treatment options, but how much time she had left to live.

Three years later, the 51-year-old mother of two from Bellville, Cape Town, is fighting the disease for a second time. But alongside the gruelling battle to survive is another challenge: finding R230,790 to pay for treatment she says could save her life.

Dalwai, who was first diagnosed in 2023, had three tumours in her breast and another beneath her arm.

What she initially dismissed as a stubborn mosquito bite turned out to be a life-changing diagnosis.

“It came as a complete shock. We had no family history of cancer. I went to the doctor thinking I had a mosquito bite on my chest that wasn’t going away. I asked my GP for some ointment, but she said, ‘That’s a massive lump.’ I asked her, ‘A lump as in cancer ?’ She said not necessarily, as it could also be stress,” Dalwai recalled.

At the time, life seemed to be falling into place. She had just started a new job, moved into a new home and was looking forward to a promising future with her family.

But that happiness was shattered after a mammogram, and biopsy confirmed her worst fears.

“I remember when the radiologist came in with tea and chocolate biscuits; I knew I was in trouble. He told me they could see it was malignant. It was a massive shock. It was difficult telling my children and my family.”

Her son was just 11 and her daughter nine when she received the diagnosis.

For Dalwai, hearing the words “stage 3” immediately raised fears about whether she would survive long enough to watch her children grow up.

“When you hear stage 3, and you know there are four stages, it’s very shocking. I asked the doctor how long I had to live.”

What followed was a gruelling 10-month journey of chemotherapy, a mastectomy with reconstruction and radiation therapy.

“It was the hardest battle of my life, but at least I had the support of my loved ones, faith and determination.”