Twenty-one-year-old Ismail van Schalkwyk from Polokwane has finally received surgery to remove a lump that’s been growing on the tip of his nose. The lump, which started growing in 2014, made it difficult for him to breathe, causing him pain and discomfort.
The surgery was performed at Mankweng hospital in Polokwane on 7 June – nearly two months after Heath-e News published the story of Van Schalkwyk’s ordeal. Previously, the young man had been unable to receive as much as a diagnosis from the various health facilities he went to in Polokwane.
After his story was published, Van Schalkwyk was told to go to Polokwane hospital, from there he was referred to Mankweng hospital.
Speaking with Health-e News via video call, a smiling Van Schalkwyk says the surgery changed his life. “Honestly, I thought my life was over, you brought hope into it. I am grateful for your support and help as it has changed my life for the better.”
He says the surgery even changed his social life.
“I am now able to interact with my old friends and people in the community without being teased or feeling that they would point out my nose. I am glad that I no longer have to explain myself to people and be asked questions I don’t have answers for.”
Van Schalkwyk previously told Health-e that he dropped out of school in 2019 because his classmates’ teasing was relentless.
“The removal of the lump is a sign that God has bigger plans for my life and it also shows that I have been given another chance to correct my mistakes. So I am going back to school next year,” he says. – Health-e News
