Beyond the Diagnosis - Episode 9 - The Quiet Strength of Living With Cancer with Nicole Adams

The first episode of What Cancer Reveals explores one of the most profound shifts cancer brings into people’s lives: the way it changes our relationship with time.In this deeply personal conversation, Brenda Errayah reflects on the loss of her mother, Connie, eight years ago. Over the course of six difficult months, Brenda witnessed the painful transformation of a woman she had always known as strong and invincible into someone gradually diminished by illness. What was once certainty slowly gave way to fragility, forcing Brenda and her family to confront the reality that time can change suddenly and without warning.Through Brenda’s story, this episode explores how cancer reshapes the way families experience time. Moments that once felt ordinary become precious, while the future that once seemed predictable becomes uncertain. Brenda speaks openly about the emotional weight of watching a loved one decline, the helplessness many families feel during this process, and the lasting impact those months leave behind.Yet her reflection also carries an important message about connection. Brenda emphasises that cancer is never experienced by one person alone. It is a journey that affects families, friends and communities. During times of illness and loss, she believes people need to come together, to support one another and to stand alongside those facing unimaginable change.This episode sets the tone for the series by revealing that cancer does more than challenge the body. It changes how we measure life, how we hold the people we love, and how we understand the value of time.

Friendships and family relationships are often deeply affected by a cancer diagnosis. In this episode, Tamlyn Wessels shares her personal journey from discovering a lump to facing aggressive triple negative breast cancer while simultaneously preparing to say goodbye to her terminally ill father. Through chemotherapy, major surgery, radiation, and profound grief, she reflects on the friendships that faded, the bonds that strengthened, and the boundaries she had to learn to protect her healing. This honest conversation explores abandonment, resilience, meaningful support, and what survivors truly need from those around them. It is a powerful reminder that cancer does not only test the body, it reveals the true depth of human connection.

Diagnosed with colon cancer at 19 and breast cancer in 2020, Nicole Adams is now five years in remission. Her journey has been tough and life changing, yet she speaks with honesty, faith and calm acceptance.In this episode of Beyond the Diagnosis, Nicole shares what it means to live with the long term realities of cancer, to remain vulnerable in the workplace, and to keep moving forward even on the hard emotional days. This is a raw and real conversation about resilience, support and choosing how you live beyond the diagnosis.

This is not a story about diagnosis.It is about what it takes to keep living while cancer becomes part of your everyday life.In his second conversation on Beyond the Diagnosis, Oscar Chalupsky speaks candidly about treatment, identity, leadership and the cost and power of staying visible.This is a conversation for anyone asking what now after the shock has passed.Watch the full episode and be reminded that living with cancer does not mean disappearing.

Explore the insights of Greta, a dedicated SCIO therapist, as she delves into the transformative world of SCIO therapy and its profound impact on cancer treatment. Greta harnesses the power of SCIO to restore equilibrium within the body, ultimately amplifying the innate healing capabilities of the human system.In the realm of Quantum Physics, SCIO emerges as a cutting-edge tool, adept at pinpointing and rectifying energetic imbalances. Through its advanced scanning capabilities, SCIO meticulously examines the body, detecting everything from pathogens to mental and emotional irregularities. The pivotal biofeedback function of SCIO then channels hundreds of frequencies directly into the body, creating a holistic approach to healing.In the context of cancer treatment, SCIO's unique methodology plays a crucial role. By identifying and correcting energetic imbalances, it offers a complementary approach that aligns with the body's natural healing processes. Greta's expertise with SCIO sheds light on the potential benefits of integrating this advanced technology into cancer care, fostering a comprehensive and personalised approach to treatment. Explore the insights of Greta, a dedicated SCIO therapist, as she delves into the transformative world of SCIO therapy and its profound impact on cancer treatment. Greta harnesses the power of SCIO to restore equilibrium within the body, ultimately amplifying the innate healing capabilities of the human system.In the realm of Quantum Physics, SCIO emerges as a cutting-edge tool, adept at pinpointing and rectifying energetic imbalances. Through its advanced scanning capabilities, SCIO meticulously examines the body, detecting everything from pathogens to mental and emotional irregularities. The pivotal biofeedback function of SCIO then channels hundreds of frequencies directly into the body, creating a holistic approach to healing. In the context of cancer treatment, SCIO's unique methodology plays a crucial role. By identifying and correcting energetic imbalances, it offers a complementary approach that aligns with the body's natural healing processes. Greta's expertise with SCIO sheds light on the potential benefits of integrating this advanced technology into cancer care, fostering a comprehensive and personalised approach to treatment. Contact Greta on: (083) 443 3008 or [email protected]

Podcast Interview with Mike Hogan: A Journey of Resilience and HopeIn this powerful episode, we sit down with Mike Hogan, a busy executive whose life took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer on 4 March 2022. After enduring multiple operations and years of digestive issues, it took three months for doctors to finally pinpoint his condition.Mike shares his deeply personal journey—from the challenges of delayed diagnosis to navigating treatment and maintaining his professional and personal life. His story sheds light on the importance of persistence in seeking medical answers, the realities of living with cancer, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward.Tune in to hear Mike’s inspiring insights on facing adversity, finding strength in uncertainty, and the lessons he has learned along the way.

In this episode of Beyond the Diagnosis, we sit down with Julianne Yates, a psychologist dedicated to supporting cancer patients, their families, and friends throughout their journey. Julianne provides both home visits and virtual sessions, ensuring that patients have access to the emotional and psychological support they need, no matter where they are.Our conversation explores the importance of open communication and honesty when facing a cancer diagnosis, as well as how therapy can be a powerful tool for healing both during and after treatment. Julianne shares insights into the unique emotional challenges cancer patients face, the cycle of grief, and how therapy can help navigate the complex emotions of fear, uncertainty, and hope.Every cancer journey is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. Whether it’s processing trauma, managing anxiety around scans, or supporting families through difficult moments, Julianne highlights the value of tailored psychological support.Tune in for a compassionate and insightful conversation on the role of therapy in the cancer journey and why emotional well-being is just as important as physical recovery.

In this episode of the Beyond Diagnosis podcast, Dr Belinda Wagner speaks with Gabi Lowe, founder of The Coaching Nest and one of South Africa’s most respected voices in personal resilience and conscious leadership. Gabi supported her husband, Stuart Lowe, through his cancer journey, an experience that sits alongside her wider story of navigating profound loss, advocacy, and reinvention.With decades senior experience in media, marketing and retail, Gabi brings a rare combination of corporate insight and deep emotional intelligence to her work. Her coaching approach is rooted in lived experience, compassion and an integral methodology that draws on the heart, body and mind. Today she works with leaders, executives and individuals seeking clarity, resilience and purposeful growth.Gabi’s journey includes her family’s advocacy around Rare Diseases, the founding of the Jenna Lowe Trust, and her transition into becoming a professionally qualified personal and leadership development coach. Her story is one of courage, meaning-making and choosing to lead a full and authentic life, even in the face of devastating loss.This conversation explores what it truly means to navigate adversity, support loved ones through illness, and rebuild a life with intent.

In this episode of the Beyond Diagnosis podcast, Dr Belinda Wagner speaks with Lisha Nunan, a papillary carcinoma survivor whose story offers a meaningful look at how cancer reshapes the way we see, feel and inhabit our own bodies. Diagnosed at the age of twenty-five while living abroad, Lisha returned to South Africa for a thyroidectomy and radioactive therapy before heading back to London to rebuild her life. What followed was far more complex than she expected. Healing was slow, her body felt unfamiliar, and an injury ultimately led her back home to start again with a completely different lens.Today, fifteen years later, Lisha is the founder of Shira Wellness and a certified Sri Sri Yoga Teacher and Art of Living Trainer. She brings together her background in corporate finance and FMCG operations with a deeply grounded approach to holistic wellbeing, transformation coaching and breathwork. Her story is layered, honest and anchored in the emotional and physical realities many survivors face long after treatment ends.In our conversation, Lisha speaks openly about body betrayal, long-term fatigue, chronic discomfort and the quiet emotional toll survivors often carry. She shares practical ways to reconnect with the body through breathing, meditation, movement and mental discipline. She also highlights why healing is not only about nutrition, routine or fitness, but about strengthening the mind and using breath to release emotional toxins and rebuild trust in the body.This episode explores self-image, societal expectations, recovery, resilience and what it truly takes to live fully in a body forever changed by cancer

In this episode of the Beyond Diagnosis podcast, Dr Belinda Wagener speaks with Dumisani Pakkies, a prostate cancer survivor from uMlazi whose voice has become a driving force in men’s health advocacy in South Africa. Diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer in 2020 with no symptoms at all, Dumisani’s journey is a powerful reminder that early detection is not optional, it is lifesaving.A qualified accountant, Dumisani faced an unexpected and aggressive diagnosis that led him into intensive treatment, including androgen deprivation therapy, brachytherapy and external beam radiation. He has been in remission since 2022. Instead of stepping back after recovery, he stepped forward. Through his movement, Against All Odds, he shares his story to challenge stigma, dismantle myths and reach the men who are least likely to get screened but most at risk.Dumisani speaks openly about the barriers Black men face in accessing cancer information, including cultural beliefs, silence and misconceptions. His advocacy has taken him into communities, awareness runs, and partnerships with organisations such as the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and the Prostate Cancer Foundation South Africa. His message is simple and unwavering: men cannot wait for symptoms. Testing saves lives.This conversation explores survival, purpose, masculinity, cultural stigma and what it takes to turn a personal battle into a national call for action