A remarkable five-year-old girl who battled cancer and had it cleared from her body after receiving chemotherapy is a brave soul full of inspiration.
Molemo Modibogo from Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, was diagnosed with leukaemia at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and could not start school like her peers .
After two years of chemotherapy at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto she was finally released from cancer treatment last month after doctors could no longer detect the cancer in her body.
Her mother, Nkele Modibogo, related her daughter’s difficult journey to cancer remission to this newspaper last week.
It’s a story of courage and triumph against adversity. But more importantly for Molemo it is a story of inspiration that proves the adage “dynamites come in small packages”.
Not only did little Molemo beat the Leukaemia that was battering her body, she did so without her mother by her side.
Modibogo said not being able to visit Molemo during her hospital stay was the hardest thing she had to endure and that she kept in touch with the hospital nurses to get health updates on her daughter.
“I remember the first time I went to see her after her admission and she had dry tears on her cheeks and I could see she had been crying. It was sad for me that I could not be able to comfort or protect her when she needed it. Whatever pain she was facing, I couldn’t be there for her,” said Modibogo.
According to the Cancer Association of SA (Cansa) an average of 800 to 1,000 children are newly diagnosed with cancer annually. The association further estimated that at least half of all children with cancer in SA are never diagnosed. Cansa said if detected early cancer in most children can be treated successfully.
It is in this context, therefore, that little Molemo’s story of hope with a happy ending should be understood. Her mother acted swiftly when she noticed symptoms which included high temperature, lack of sleep and coughs. Both bravery and courage are needed to beat the disease but, more importantly, being aware of early signs is as vital.
Thankfully that is a lesson we can all learn from little Molemo’s story.
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