Julieth Motsomi – There is life after cancer

After losing three family members in a space of six months, Julieth Motsomi had to face a breast cancer diagnosis. She shares how she has gotten through all of this.

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Julieth Motsomi (58) lives in Krugersdorp, Gauteng. She is a widow and has one adult son and a deceased daughter. 

Passing of three family members

The first death Julieth encountered was her younger sister, Daisy, in December 2019. “She said she was sick and needs to go to the hospital. The ambulance took forever, and I wanted to take her in my car but then it was too late. She looked at me, smiled, and passed away in my arms,” Julieth recalls. 

The second death, the most traumatic one, was Julieth’s daughter, Mampho, a senior associate at MNS Attorneys, who was stabbed numerous times by her boyfriend in January 2020. “I was with her a week before; she flew both of us to Cape Town for a holiday. I never knew that would be the last time we would ever have together,” Julieth says weeping.

The third death was Julieth’s husband in July 2020 on their wedding anniversary. He passed away from COVID. Julieth says, “It was so hard for me. I was still mourning my child and then my husband.”

Diagnosis

Two years later in February 2022, Julieth was diagnosed with breast cancer. “The doctors explained to me that the trauma that I encountered may have played a part,” Julieth says. 

She explains how the diagnosis came about, “I like to sleep on my tummy and I noticed my left breast was getting sore. Since I work at a public hospital, I decided to ask a nurse to check it. She felt a small lump and suggested I go for a mammogram. After the mammogram at a private hospital, a biopsy was done. There was some confusion at first as the GP phoned and said it was negative but then a few days later he phoned again and said I need to go see a breast specialist. This is when I got worried as both my maternal grandmother and aunt passed away from cervical cancer. I even had a hysterectomy after having my children as I was so scared of cervical cancer but now it was breast cancer,” Julieth explains.

It was confirmed that Julieth had Stage 1 breast cancer. “I was shattered when I heard the news,” she says.

Treatment

Six months of chemotherapy commenced and Julieth’s sister, Setshego, came and stayed with her for two months. Then in September the same year, Julieth had a lumpectomy and reconstruction to ensure her breasts are symmetrical. “I like my new breasts, but I’m still paying for them as my medical aid only covered the lumpectomy,” she explains. 

In March 2023, radiation started for two months and she will be on letrozole, a hormone therapy drug, for six years. 

“Chemotherapy was the hardest for me; I lost my hair. I had arthritis in my knees before chemotherapy, but it only got worse. My eyesight also deteriorated. I lost so much weight as I couldn’t eat but my sister bought me iron supplements and a nutritional supplement that helped so much. After surgery, I just wanted to get better and forced myself to start doing things for myself as I live alone and wanted to be dependent,” Juliet says.

During treatment Julieth was also attending the court case of her daughter’s murder. Thankfully, justice was served with a life sentence. 

A solid support system

Even though Julieth lives alone, she had unwavering support from a neighbour, work colleagues, family members, and who she calls her spiritual mom, Jamaima. “When I got the news, I immediately phoned Jamaima and was crying on the phone. She asked me if the doctor said I was going to die, and I said no. That question made me realised the truth that if I could face my daughter’s death, I could certainly face breast cancer.”

However, there is one friend who stands out the most, Maki, who is also a breast cancer survivor, and joined her at the cover shoot. “We go to the same church and she is my pillar of strength. I supported her when she had breast cancer many years ago and she repaid me by doing exactly the same for me,”Julieth says

Choosing the way she wants to live

Unfortunately, this year Julieth had to undergo surgery to have four screws inserted into her spine as the arthritis got so severe that she was limping which then affected her sciatic nerve. After a long discussion with her doctor, she made the decision to retire at the end of this year as she is tired of being in pain. “I drive over an hour to get to work and back; luckily my car is an automatic so that helps but I need to rest the way I want to,” she says. 

She adds, “It’s also time for me to go out and socialise like I used to. I’ve been hiding away as I have been avoiding the question of how I’m coping through all of this, and when I speak about everything, it brings up the emotions that I’m trying to get over. I know I won’t forget my lost ones but at times I need to be me.”  

Even though she won’t be working per se, her aim is to share as much knowledge as she can on breast cancer. “I want to change the perception that cancer is a death sentence. If you do what your doctor says, it’s not death as such. It all starts with the mind; the doctors will do their part and you have to do your part. My message is there is life after cancer and there is life after loss.” 

Photos by Mandy Steenkamp Photography | Follow @mandysteenkampphotography