Facing cancer from under a mask

Facing your own immortality is a reality that no 24 year old should have to grapple with but for Lebani Mazhani, it is all she has had to deal with since her world was turned on its head when she received her cancer diagnosis.

Mazhani ‘s battle with Salivary cancer began in 2014 when a malignant tumor was found on her left cheek during a regular dental check up. From the start, the outlook was not good; her salivary glad cancer was aggressive and had covered most of her cheek down to her neck. She is currently unable to open her mouth wide, her left facial side is numb and she cannot eat bread or potatoes because of the little saliva she has.

Out of all the pain, torment, unfairness and sadness of her battle, the oldest of three children and also a law student decided to share the “emotionally taxing” journey with the wider world in the form of a book, broken down into phases.

“I have done it this way because I wanted to get my story out there immediately and there is so much content to write on for just one month,” But most importantly, she says writing has been the biggest way for her to cope with her feelings and thoughts. To date, “Facing Cancer From Under A Mask” has three volumes. “My hope is for my memoirs to give courage and support to anyone dealing with cancer,” she explains. After going through aggressive treatment which included surgery, two bouts of radiation and chemotherapy, Mazhani says two weeks ago she found out the cancer is still present.

“I am not giving up because I feel I have a lot of responsibility to my loved ones to be here and fight with everything I have. I have a lot of life to live ahead of me” she exclaims. 

“Cancer is something that really happens around the world every single day; children lose their parents and vice versa to this disease every single day,” Mazhani notes. Adding, “There needs to be more support and more awareness around what that means. Just like we have done with AIDS, more knowledge will definitely remove the fear and hopelessness attached with cancer”.  Mazhani says she would like to get the book out there to hospitals, schools and to just have it as a resource for anyone.