Hi all

10 years ago, at the age of 34 I collapsed on the floor in my living room in the UK. I was rushed off to hospital and after many lengthy tests and lots of pain I was diagnosed with  low grade carcinoid tumor .

Having being an extremely fit young person, training in swimming and leading a healthy, outgoing life this came as a big shock to me and my loved ones. This was devastating , as I had to give up so much of the healthy things I enjoy in life like travelling and sport.

At this stage the medical industry had no treatment for my type of cancer. The only way was to operate and remove the tumors.

I was born with a fused kidney and this kidney was 80% covered in carcinoid tumors.  The operation was a success even though I now only have 20% kidney function. The doctors were surprised that I survived after giving me the devastating news that I wasn’t going to make it. I fought to survive and was victorious, however the struggle hasn’t ended.

I led a normal life and started to enjoy life again. At the age of 38 I was in severe pain again and back in hospital. They had to operate and they removed lymph nodes that had grown in that same area again.

At the age of 39 the cancer resurfaced in my eye I was in severe pain .They had to operate again! As the tumor was on the muscle of my eye they could only de bulk as to remove the whole tumor would be detrimental to the eye.

Living like this is no way to live a normal life. I am in constant stress, never mind the day to day stresses. Having lived in the UK for the past seventeen and a half years I decided to go back to South Africa with my fiancée.

Ever since living in South Africa my eye has flared up every year for the past four years. I have been in and out of state hospitals, as we are not on medical insurance (due to my pre-existing condition - i was unable to qualify for medical insurance). The treatment was just anti-biotics and this treatment thus far has not really led anywhere and has just helped in the interim and hasn’t got rid of the carcinoid tumors. I’ve tried starting my own business, but as you  know starting a new business takes a lot of effort and time and with my struggle it has been near to impossible to keep it a float

I then decided to go the natural route as the medical industry was not solving anything. I started to treat myself with cannabis oil. It wasn’t a guarantee but our last resort. It seemed to be helping especially for the pain. My eye did flare up in the past year and I just stayed at home and treated myself naturally with the cannabis oil. It was successful and my eye went down.

 Having the medical history I have we have been told that to conceive a child would be highly impossible. All of a sudden a miracle happened and my wife fell pregnant. We were overwhelmed with such joy that we were blessed with such a miracle.

Our baby girl is 5 months old now and I am still living with severe pain. Recently the pain was too much to tolerate and I was rushed off to hospital. We had scans done and to our devastation the results were not good. The carcinoid tumors are now on my liver, bulk masses are around my lower spine and groin area as well as the remaining ones behind both my eyes.

I thankfully have an excellent oncologist; Dr Marais has now informed me that in the last two years cancer researchers have found treatment for carcinoid tumors. This is the best news I have ever heard. To be able to live without this disease would be a dream come true! Dr Marais has informed us that the treatment is so successful that it has even healed some patients completely.

The treatment is a hormone injection that I have to have administered every month. The cost of one of these injection is approximately   R20 000. Medical insurance does not cover this and it is not guaranteed through a state hospital. I may even have to travel to Pretoria from Durban for numerous tests to get the treatment.

Having my own business that is bringing in a very low income does not help. We are struggling to get by just with day to day living costs. At the moment each day is a struggle. I am on morphine for pain as the pain is just so severe, this has made me bed ridden and unable to provide for my family. My greatest dream would be to see my daughter, Savannah walk her first steps and to be able to reach all her milestones with her, I would really appreciate any monetary aid from anyone that is reading this and who is able to assist me in reaching my dreams.