GEORGE NEWS - Project Flamingo will be performing life-saving breast cancer surgeries at George Regional Hospital tomorrow, Saturday 19 July.
The surgeries are part of their Mandela Day outreach across five selected public hospitals in the Western and Eastern Cape. Nearly 40 surgeries will be performed on women who are currently waiting for treatment.
This is a record-breaking initiative motivated by Project Flamingo's latest campaign: Make Room for Her.
The Project Flamingo NPO team has to date performed over 1 800 breast cancer surgeries in South Africa’s public healthcare system.
They utilise the time and skills of volunteer doctors for these campaigns to bridge critical gaps in cancer care.
Project Flamingo already delivers action-driven solutions to these selected hospitals to address the backlog of surgeries and the growing need for breast cancer care. The volunteer surgeons and anaesthetists will be joined by teams of patient support volunteers and nursing staff funded by Project Flamingo.
They operate on a Saturday in unused weekend theatre space. The other hospitals targeted are Groe Schuur Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, Livingstone Hospital, and Cecilia Makiwane Hospital.
Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in their lifetime, and as the number of cases continues to rise, the public healthcare system and its resources remain inadequate and incapable of treating the growing number of patients.
The Make Room for Her campaign is Project Flamingo’s latest urgent response to this national health challenge.
The campaign is an ongoing initiative from the organisation and a step forward in ensuring that women battling breast cancer no longer face the harsh reality of delayed or denied care due to long waiting periods for treatments, underfunded budgets, and overlooked voices.
Dr Liana Roodt, CEO and founder of Project Flamingo, says with the slogan "We’re making room in hospitals, in budgets, in conversations - for her," they aim to restore dignity, prioritise women’s health, and tackle the systemic barriers to equitable cancer treatment in South Africa.
"Project Flamingo’s focus in the coming months, is a call to action for all South Africans to recognise that cancer care should never be left to chance. It is an urgent reminder that, despite the personal and financial costs, ensuring dignified, timely access to treatment is not a privilege, but a basic human right."
Some of the team members of Project Flamingo who make the surgeries possible.
Megan Jane Jacobs (35), a patient who received her surgery at last year’s Mandela Day initiative, says, “I will forever be grateful to the Project Flamingo team and the incredible doctors and nurses for what they have done for me. They didn’t just perform a surgery; they held me through one of the most vulnerable and life-altering moments of my life. Their compassion, skill, and commitment didn’t just treat my diagnosis; they helped restore a part of my womanhood and gave me back my confidence and hope. I’m not just a survivor, I was given a second chance at life.”
Roodt says, “This Mandela Day, we’re not just commemorating a rich history left by a remarkable man - we’re changing lives. There is no greater way to honour a great leader than to proactively mirror his legacy of positive change.
"We are creating space for women to be heard, to be treated, and to reclaim their health and dignity. In doing so, we honour Madiba’s legacy through action rooted in compassion and a commitment to justice. Let’s all ‘Make room for Her’, and for each other, by the way we talk, think and act. Timely and dignified cancer care is not a privilege; it is a basic human right that should be protected and claimed."
Beyond surgeries
Project Flamingo’s Make Room for Her campaign emphasizes a comprehensive approach to breast cancer care. From life-saving surgeries to diagnostic support, emotional care, and advocacy, the campaign aims to create room for women at every stage of their treatment journey.
Says Lou Stone, COO of Project Flamingo, “The knock-on effect of delayed points of care, from diagnostics to all forms of treatments, is life-threatening.
"If a patient has to wait two months for a CT scan, or miss their chemotherapy treatment window because an essential scan is not available, the emotional and physical effects are devastating. We are changing this.”
Project Flamingo calls on the public to to partner with them or donating to help fund critical equipment, resources, and programmes that support not only the surgeries but the holistic care of patients.
For more information or to contribute to Make Room for Her, visit www.projectflamingo.co.za.
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