Robin Veitch

Childhood Cancer Foundation (CHOC)

Personal Message:

In 2020, my father left South Africa just days before my birthday in my Matric year of high school. His work trip to Sweden was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and during his year there, he was diagnosed with Oesophageal Cancer. In my first year of medical school, I witnessed his challenging battle through surgery and chemotherapy, leaving him without an oesophagus. By my second year, the cancer spread to his brain, but there was hope in early 2022 with the possibility of further treatment. Excitement and optimism filled me as the prospect of reuniting with my father after two and a half years loomed large. However, in late August, devastating news shattered our hopes, revealing he had only six months to live. Just a week after this revelation, on September 9, 2022, he passed away. My father, the greatest man I've ever known, was gone, and I hadn't seen him in over two years. The loss shook me profoundly. Three months ago, I started running, determined to complete the Comrades Marathon in his honour. I am also raising awareness for the Childhood Cancer Foundation, inspired by my father's fight against this ruthless disease.