After just feeling dizzy for a couple of days my parents took me to a doctor at Sandton Clinic. The doctor sent me to have a CT (Computerised Tomography) scan, saying that it was just a precaution. As I walked out of the x-ray room I could feel the nurses treating me differently. I was left alone in a ward while doctor spoke to my Mom and Dad. Nothing can prepare you for the shock of being told th
at you have a brain tumour. Soon the doctor was holding up the scans and telling me how I needed a seven hour operation. Well, more of a nightmare. The reality set in when I was wheeled into the operating theatre. I was surrounded by huge machines and many doctors and nurses wearing masks. The hours of waiting must’ve felt like months to my parents. It felt like just seconds to me. The five days in ICU is also a blur. All I can remember is waking up every half an hour or so, to throw up. Just as I was enjoying the fact that I had been moved to the general ward and that I was able to eat again I was hit with more devastating news. My journey was far from over. The surgeon explained that I would need six months of Chemotherapy and thirty-three days of radiation. Despite the wonderful care I received from the nurses I would not wish these treatments on my worse enemy. Losing your hair is one of the toughest things for a teenage girl to cope with, especially when your hair was long, straight and beautiful. Somehow though these experiences made me realise that I was one of the lucky ones. I was being treated by the most amazing doctors at the best hospitals and treatment centres in the country. I have had an immense amount of support from my school, Brescia House, my friends, and especially my family. Many kids in our country don’t get the opportunity to receive the kind of treatment and support that I’ve had. Others live in poverty and squalor and don’t even have sufficient nutrition to feed their sick bodies. I have realised that the support of others can change your perspective on life and inspire you to have hope. My whole life I have always wanted to help those who are less fortunate. That is my reason for starting the Kirsty Watts Foundation. My aim is to better the lives of many children.
