When a mother suffering from corporate burnout decided to change her career path, she could never have imagined that cancer would enter into her new chapter – an experience that for this dynamic woman, became an opportunity to pay it forward.
It has been one year since Jolene van Wyk received her diagnosis following a routine mammogram at the age of 46. During this time, she has ridden the roller coaster of her cancer journey and come out on the other side, hosting free motivational support sessions for breast cancer patients in the radiation unit at Netcare Milpark Hospital.
“I quickly realised that the cancer journey is initially quite a lonely and scary one – you have amazing doctors working to heal you and your loved ones supporting you at every step, but ultimately it is you facing the fight.
“As patients, we all sit in the waiting room and smile at each other, and if we have the energy, we have short conversations while we are waiting for our treatment, but I wanted to start a support group where we could come together and talk about our experiences, our fears, our hopes and dreams,” she says.
| Breast cancer survivor and qualified neurocoach Jolene van Wyk, pictured here with her daughter Jade, hosts regular motivational support sessions for breast cancer patients in the radiation unit at Netcare Milpark Hospital. |
| Jolene van Wyk was a mother suffering corporate burnout who changed career path to become a qualified neurocoach. A year after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis, she is now also using her expertise to help uplift others on their cancer journey with regular motivational sessions at Netcare Milpark Hospital’s radiation unit. |
For Jolene, the desire to uplift others through her own challenges seems to come naturally. As a corporate employee, she felt stuck in the rat race, working under constant pressure and lacking the flexibility needed to spend more time with her daughter.
All too aware that she was not alone in this experience, Jolene took hold of an opportunity to leave the corporate world five years ago and become a qualified neurocoach, obtaining her certification through the Neurocoach Institute in Pretoria and becoming a member of Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA). She then began working with other mothers suffering from burnout, using her training to assist them in realising their goals.
Now, for the past six months, Jolene has been applying these skills to supporting cancer patients and those caring for them, even offering free life coaching sessions to some of the staff she met on her cancer journey.
Dr Mia Hugo, a specialist radiation oncologist practising at the radiation unit at Netcare Milpark Hospital, among other Netcare radiation facilities, points out that radiation is often the last block of treatment that breast cancer patients go through, and can seem overwhelming.
“Since radiation is often seen as the last hurdle in the treatment process, patients are often emotionally exhausted before they even start radiation, and it can feel quite daunting for them to know they have another course of treatment ahead.
“Radiation also poses practical challenges. By this stage patients have often gone back to work after taking sick leave for surgery and recovery, and since this is a daily treatment with breaks on weekends only, it can be difficult to balance treatment times with work and home duties.
“Coaching and motivational sessions, such as those Jolene is running, help patients to deal with both the practical challenges as well as the mental processing of the diagnosis and the treatment. This can make a considerable difference to patients completing treatment with a sense of positivity and hope for the future at a time when they are, understandably, so depleted,” says Dr Hugo.
Jolene says that the motivational sessions in the hospital’s radiation unit have fallen into a monthly rhythm where she provides a special talk, sometimes bringing in other women to share their inspirational stories, followed by tea and time for attendees to connect with one another.
“The end goal is ultimately to provide a safe space for patients to share their fears and anxieties, how they are coping with treatment side effects, approaches to nutrition and exercise, and cultivating a positive mindset. There is a definite need for this – the sessions are well attended and many women have expressed that they feel lighter afterwards, because when we share the experience it somehow feels less heavy. I have begun doing talks at the Netcare Alberton Hospital’s radiation unit as well and am aiming to extend the talks to other Netcare hospitals in the coming months,” she says.
Jolene explains that the talks are not only for patients but also for carers, husbands and partners who go through their own challenges during the cancer journey of their loved one and who may at times struggle to understand the deeper feelings of loss that breast cancer patients experience.
Dr Hugo adds that while breast cancer treatment is so often successful for patients such as in Jolene’s case, it can also be overwhelming.
“Patients often experience a real emotional dip about a week or so after completing the final block of radiation, and can often get hit by a wave of post-traumatic stress from what they have just endured. Breast cancer treatment begins very soon after diagnosis, and it can often feel like a whirlwind to patients who are going through the treatment process without any real time to process how they feel. Access to motivational support, alongside professional mental healthcare when needed, can really help patients to reach a place where they can once more look forward to life after breast cancer,” she concludes.
For more information about upcoming breast cancer support sessions offered by Jolene van Wyk, please e-mail [email protected]. You can also find Jolene on Facebook through the Radiant Cancer Thrivers Facebook Group and on Instagram at the handle Jolenevw.
Ends
Notes to editor
Experience seamless healthcare access with the Netcare App. Enjoy convenient healthcare anytime, anywhere, with expert medical care at your fingertips. Book appointments, consult with GPs virtually and manage pre-admissions all in one place. From emergency response services with geolocation to seamless admission, discover a new level of care. Download the Netcare App today.
Alternatively, contact Netcare Appointmed on 0860 555 565, Mondays to Fridays, 08:00 to 17:00 to make an appointment with a therapist, doctor or specialist practising at a Netcare hospital, Netcare Medicross or Netcare Akeso facility near you.
For media enquiries, contact MNA at the contact details listed below.
Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare Milpark Hospital
For media enquiries contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster or Clementine Forsthofer
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]