Mrs SA finalist makes cancer survivor’s dream come true
SANDTON – The Mediclinic Sandton, together with Mrs South Africa finalist, Rene Roberts-Patel, made the journey to recovery for one lucky cancer survivor an easier one.
The duo, through the efforts of Roberts-Patel, organised and paid for a breast augmentation procedure for Cecelia ‘Sally’ Jute at the Mediclinic Sandton following her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.
Roberts-Patel explained how the impressive feat was managed.
“I initially came across Jute at a cancer patient facility, and her story stood out to me because of her bravery and strength during her journey with cancer and it was something, as a mother, I could relate to,” she said.
“It was then, during a… [session at] Dr Ridwaan Mia’s office at the [Mediclinic], that I mumbled something about getting the [clinic] involved and sponsoring the procedure for her following her treatment.”
Roberts-Patel’s idea caught on with Mia, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, who explained that getting involved with Jute’s case was something he was glad to do, given that it was right up his alley.
“Roberts-Patel approached me because she knew about my pro bono work and, as a doctor, I was keen to provide my expertise, as such help is scarce within this field,” he explained.
Mia said helping others came naturally to him, having grown up in a home where charitable work was a great feature, and explained that it was also about helping women get back their confidence following cancer treatment.
He elaborated on the journey ahead for Jute and said that it would involve a major operation to reconstruct the affected breast and a few follow-up sessions to ensure everything goes smoothly.
“The important thing is to give Jute her womanhood and confidence back, which survivors often lose during cancer treatment, and for me, that’s a good thing,” he said.
Jute added to this and said she was a bit nervous about the upcoming procedure, but was also looking forward to it and to work with Mia.
“I’m a bit scared of what’s ahead, but I trust that I’ll be in good hands with Mia and I cannot wait to see what he will do,” she said.
She concluded by thanking Roberts-Patel for the generous gift, adding that doing this would help make her feel complete again.
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