Joshua fought the battle with courage and hope
'I would like everyone to remember him as a warrior'
“I will always remember Joshua as being a child with a great sense of humour and a beautiful smile. He loved me and his family a lot and would often just come up and give me a hug and tell me he loved me. I believe his life’s story is one of hope and courage.”
These were the words of Francesca Coetzee, the mother of 15-year-old Joshua, who lost his battle with cancer on 11 April.
Read more here:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/04/17/joshua-loses-his-battle-against-cancer-web/
Joshua was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer that affects mainly boys between the ages of 10 and 18 years, early in 2015.
Francesca explained: “Joshua was a normal, active child who loved sport. Early in 2015 we noticed him dragging his left leg and initially thought he had a rugby injury. It took a lot of tests and misdiagnoses before we found Doctor Kiss, a specialist at Life Flora Clinic, who correctly diagnosed him. ”
She added that the journey was initially very difficult for Joshua as he had a lot of pain and had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair. He did not like the injections, all the scans that had to be done or having to be in hospital.
“The cancer initially affected his left pelvic bone, and, after he was in remission for a while, it spread to the left ribs and his lungs. The MRI scan that was done in February showed that it had spread to his spine as well. But, he never gave up hope.
He was motivated to keep on fighting by the love and encouragement of his friends and family, and believed that he would get well again and live a normal life,” Francesca said.
She said that the only thing that kept her going was the support of her friends and family, especially from her mother, Mary Lourenco, who helped take care of Joshua.
An emotional Mary added, “Joshua fought a strong battle, and I am glad that he is now free from the pain. I know he is with the angels now and having a good time, and, even though he did not want us to cry, I will miss him dearly.”
Francesca echoed Mary’s sentiments, and added, “It is the most difficult thing in the world to lose a child, but I believe he is in heaven where he has no more pain, and I do not have to worry about him any more.”
She said that she wanted everyone to remember Joshua as a warrior who fought the cancer with everything he had, and never lost hope, “During the last month or so, Joshua was unable to walk, but he continued to hope that he would get better and walk out of the hospital on his own. A week before he passed away, he told me that, if he was healed, he would give me the biggest hug he could.”
Francesca urged the community to keep on supporting families who are also on this journey, “I am specifically thinking of Shanaya Govender, who has the same type of cancer Joshua had. She is one of the bravest little girls I know. Please continue supporting families like these.
She also mentioned that people can help support cancer patients by donating blood or platelets, “There is always a need for this as blood transfusions are needed on a regular basis. Sometimes there is also a shortage at the blood bank, so it becomes critical for these patients.”
She concluded by thanking everyone who supported them during this difficult journey, and said, “Without the love and support of my parents, and eldest son Frans, who is my rock, I would not have been able to go on. I cannot express my gratitude to everyone who has supported us enough –all I can say is ‘Thank you’!”
