Cancer survivor gran set to graduate
A 61-year-old granny, who battled cancer at the age of 52, is scheduled to graduate with a degree in pharmacy.
|||Cape Town - A 61-year-old granny, who battled brain and oesophageal cancer after enrolling at university at 52, is scheduled to graduate with a degree in pharmacy this year.
And not only will Nozibele Mpanga be celebrating her graduation from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) this year, but her daughter, Nolindo Mpanga, 29, has just graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the same institution.
Nozibele, who said she has been a traditional healer from a young age, worked as a policewoman in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape before pursuing her degree.
“As a traditional healer I wanted to expand my knowledge so I decided to study pharmacy. I want to know how best I could treat people.”
She enrolled at the university in 2007 but couldn’t complete her degree after being diagnosed with cancer in 2011. She eventually returned to university last year.
“It was actually only from this year that I’ve started to feel better. But now I am coping very well. At first I would forget something two hours after reading it, but now I can remember.”
She had to complete two modules this year and, according to the university, she is scheduled to graduate in September.
“It feels so great to be graduating in the same year as my daughter. I was a guest at her graduation now she can be a guest at mine.”
Nolindo, who lives in Samora Machel, said she was excited about graduating in the same year as her mother.
She had initially studied BSc Medical Biosciences, but upon completion of her studies, was unable to find a job.
She then enrolled for a degree in pharmacy in 2012 and graduated on Monday.
Nolindo said she was completing her internship at a pharmacy in Philippi this year.
Nozibele said the two had set their sights on opening a pharmacy together.
“We would like to have a family business.”
But she might not be quite ready to stop studying yet.
“I might still study medicine.
“I want to learn everything I need to know about healing.”
More than 4 000 students are graduating at UWC this week.
ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za
Cape Argus