Time was of the essence to get, Dale Benson (39), an educator who was teaching English in Vietnam, home to his family in Somerset West, Cape Town, after hearing the devastating news that he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
Thankfully, with generous support, Dale arrived home on the 15 July 2021, a day before his mom’s birthday.
Dale’s diagnosis
After experiencing severe stomach pains for a couple weeks, Dale was rushed to hospital on Friday, 2 July 2021 for an emergency operation, when doctors found cancer in the whole of his abdominal area.
Without medical aid, Dale, who was in ‘bad shape and in a lot of pain’, was being treated at the University hospital in Hanoi. Without chemotherapy, doctors estimated that he would have about one month to live.
He needed to get home.
The Race to get Dale home
As Dale’s mother, Inge Bosman, was unable to fly to Vietnam, as their borders are closed due to the pandemic, Dale had to get special clearance to leave the country.
To assist the family with funds to cover the cost of the Dale’s flight home, and get hime the best possible medical care on South African soil, a friend of the family, Karen Baschiera, launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to appeal to the public for support.
Welcome home, Dale!
With generous donations from over 400 donors, almost R200 000 was raised on BackaBuddy to bring Dale back home to South Africa, and assist him with his medical expenses as he battles cancer.
“It’s difficult to express the exact emotions I am feeling in words, to be able to thank each person for their generosity towards me. Even though we are experiencing a global pandemic and every penny counts these days, all of you without hesitation came forward to donate to my cause. I will never be able to thank you enough. I truly hope one day in whatever life it may be that I can be there for you. I am going to fight this disease with every piece of strength I have. Warrior mode activated. Love you all to the moon and back.” – says Dale
Flying upgraded business class, with a doctor on board, Dale arrived in Cape Town in ‘good spirits’ on the 15th of July 2021. Elated, Dale’s mum, Inge, shared the heart-warming reunion on her Facebook page.
“I am overwhelmed by the financial and emotional support from each and every person that commented..Has put me in a such a loved space” – says Inge.
Additional funds donated to Dale’s campaign, will be used to cover his ongoing medical expenses.
Donate to Dale’s treatment:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/dale-benson
Alternatively, make a donation via Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/dale-benson
A Message from Dale (17 FEB 2022)
I am currently busy with my 8th round of chemo. At the end of this month I will be given a 3 month break from it and continue again in May. The first scan I had a few months ago showed that the chemo was able to dry up the ascites fluid which was causing so many problems for me. I was hardly able to eat and my health was declining rapidly. I was admitted to hospice for them to monitor me. After spending 3 days there I managed to somehow get well enough to be discharged. It was then my chemo journey started and after a month or 2 I was feeling so much better.
The chemo of course has its own side effects but staying positive and managing the effects makes it tolerable. I have changed my diet and unfortunately had to cut out things (sugar) which is not easy but definitely helping with my success of beating this illness. So it’s been around 8 months and today. I am feeling strong.
I wake up each day grateful to start a new day with a smile on my face and a warrior spirit in my heart. Every day I also think of all the wonderful humans that helped me get to where I am today. I am going to continue fighting whilst living the best life I can live. My next scan will be in a few months and I will then be able to see how the treatment is going. Will update you all again then. ❤️ – says Dale
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