HartReach Cancer Survivorship Program

You most likely have a group of extremely skilled Medical professionals treating you who are often too busy to deal with anything but the cancer itself. I see my role as bridging the gaps in your treatment, especially with regard to 4 main areas – physical, psychological, social and spiritual health. All of these have an impact on how you experience your cancer ‘journey’, and all of them have the potential to improve your cancer outcomes if addressed effectively. We want to help you manage all these areas optimally to support you and your family through the process and improve your quality of life at every stage.

I qualified as a Medical Doctor at the University of Stellenbosch in 1990. I worked in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa as a Medical Officer in Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine and General Practice. Since 2006 I have been part of the surgical teams managing Breast Cancer in several cancer units. At the same time I successfully ran my own business providing products and education to people in the areas of health, lifestyle modification, weight loss and disease prevention.

In 2022, I qualified as a Health Coach through the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, and passed the exam of the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches in October 2022. I use the Functional Medicine approach in all my dealings with clients, as I believe in its systems-based, holistic approach. Functional Medicine looks at the whole person, not just the disease, and provides an integrated approach to disease management.

On a personal note, I am a mother to two adult boys who are both at the early stages of professional careers. I have a strong family history of both breast and prostate cancers, so this is a very personal project for me. I feel I can bring together my medical training, coaching qualifications and personal history to provide exceptional service to people going through one of the toughest battles of their lives.

The Aim of Hartreach
My aim with this program is to recognize the person, not only the patient, the needs and not only the treatment. I would like you to see yourself as a survivor, not a victim.

The most common definition sees cancer survivorship as a process that begins at the moment of diagnosis and continues through the balance of your life. Cancer therapies are becoming more effective. This is creating an ever-growing group of people who are surviving cancer, and we recognize that there are experiences and characteristics they share that distinguish them from the general population. This program was started in response to the needs we are seeing.

No matter where you are in your journey, we would like to provide support, information, and personalized coaching, and introduce you to a whole community of exceptional people who can make this process less intimidating.