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Marisa 'eM' Louw

I do writing, marketing consulting, and workshop facilitation. I am also a #breastcancerwarrior

My breast cancer journey in pictures

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- September 19, 2020

#breastcancerawareness breastcancer cancer chemo chemotherapy

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(c) Marisa Louw 2020

Marisa Louw: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa; Freelance business writer, creative writing course facilitator, retired marketing- and public relations strategist, musician, and bird whisperer.

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The Dos and Don'ts of Rescuing Wild Birds

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Protocols for dealing with injured or compromised wildlife found You require a permit issued to treat, rear or keep any indigenous wildlife. Because you “found it” does not make it yours. Any treatment which needs to be undertaken on injured wildlife needs to be done by a qualified rehabilitation specialist or vet. (Authors: Pieter Saunders , Lynn Ravat , and Sigrid Oliver ) Firstly, when do you help a bird, and when do you leave it? If you can easily catch a bird, it most probably needs help! Even if the parents are around, they won't raise the baby on the ground or keep it warm. If a human can catch it, any predator (cat, dog, rat, other bird) can also. It needs help! The exception for this will be birds that live and breed on the ground. Fledglings learning to fly will be up in the tree around the nest; when they are ready to come down to the ground, it's difficult to catch them. If you can reach the nest of the baby bird (and you are sure it is the right nest...

My breast cancer journey - a timeline of events

- July 08, 2022

What follows is a timeline of defining moments in my journey to date. Updated on 9 April 2024. 2019 8 July 2019: Routine mammogram 9 July 2019: Second opinion mammogram 11 July 2019: Fine needle aspiration 23 July 2019: The family doctor tells me that I have breast cancer 1-3 August 2019: Hospitalised for a surgical biopsy 30 Aug-1 Sep 2019: Hospitalised for bilateral mastectomy and direct-to-implant reconstruction 27-29 September 2019: Hospitalised for debridement of the wounds 25 October 2019: Start with chemotherapy ( Taxol once a week - 18 treatment cycles) 13-14 November 2019: Hospitalised to remove the right implant 22 November 2019: Start with Herceptin injections (once every three weeks - 15 treatment cycles) 2020 6 March 2020: Last chemotherapy session! 27 March 2020: COVID-19 lockdown 9 April 2020: Start Tamoxifen hormone-blocking therapy 6-8 May 2020: Hospitalised to insert a tissue expander ...

The role of the right medical team in a cancer patient's life

- February 10, 2021

When one gets diagnosed with a dread disease like cancer, your life changes. At first, there is disbelief. Then come chaos and fear. The latter remains with you for a very, very long time. Over the past 19 months, I learnt so much! Not only did I learn about lobular pleomorphic breast cancer and its treatment, but also about the importance of a solid support structure. One would think that a support structure involves only your family and friends. Yet, each medical professional involved in your diagnosis and treatment becomes a crucial part of your support structure. That is why I advocate the significance of selecting your medical team with the utmost caution and scrutiny. Today, I want to thank each of the doctors and their teams who are part of my breast cancer journey. Their unconditional care and support make everything more bearable. Dr Rudolph van Wyk is our family doctor and the one who broke the bad news to my husband and me. His compassion,...

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