Breast Cancer Month | Seipati Masango opens up about her brave battle with breast cancer
Seipati Masango a breast cancer warrior, survivor, and advocate.
Image: Instagram/@captionthisphotography
Seipati Masango is a breast cancer warrior, survivor, and advocate and as South Africa wraps up Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she shared her story with IOL.
At the age of 37, in 2024, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and the journey has been tough but with the support of her friends and family, the doctor's radiology and oncology team, the journey has not been that hard.
Masango first discovered a lump in January, but initially dismissed it due to a misconception about age and breast cancer. “I had that misconception that obviously breast cancer was spread on the age of 41 upwards.
“And I must have thought that it would actually happen to me.”
"I conquered, I Fought, I cried… I won the battle,' reflects Seipati Masango a breast cancer warrior, survivor, and advocate during October which is Breast Cancer Month “Pink October".
Image: Instagram/seipati_missgates_masango
The symptoms worsened, leading to a mammogram in May and a Stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis on June 3rd. “The journey has been tough, but at the same time, I managed to live my life as a normal person. I tried not to let the cancer get hold of me because I know that chemotherapy on its own is a journey.
“They call chemotherapy the red devil. Once it enters your system, you feel different, you look different, and you can't eat or vomit. But through the grace of God, I managed to live a normal life, undergoing cancer treatment.”
Being diagnosed with cancer also came with a lifestyle change for Masango, something she admits she is still battling with, but takes it day by day. The lifestyle adjustments have been hard, and it’s taking time for her to adjust.
The hormonal tablets she is taking are causing weight gain and inducing menopause. She is finding difficulty in maintaining a healthy diet due to cravings for sugary foods, which she links to cancer.
“I'm still battling with eating well, and this was something that I used to do. I would eat well and I was working out, I was eating well, but now it's very difficult, more especially because I'm on medication for 5 years, hormonal medication.
“The changes in my body are very hard for me to accept, but every day is a step. I had to go do an oncoplastic surgery where they had to remove 2 kg from my chest. The cancerous one, I lost 1.2 kg and the other one was 800 g, you can imagine now not having breasts. Yes, they're still there, but that was one of my identities.”
Masango's journey has revealed her immense strength and resilience. She demonstrated these qualities throughout her treatment, which included hair loss, wearing wigs, and undergoing breast reconstruction surgery.
She experienced social media backlash and accusations of faking cancer; she kept her journey private, only disclosing to the public in October. Despite undergoing surgery and recovery, she continued with daily life and family, and going to church gatherings.
The experience has motivated Masango to share her story and support other breast cancer warriors. “It's not easy being scarred, more especially around breasts and having big boobs, and all of a sudden your chest is not normal. But they tell a story, and every day I just thank God for the gift of life.”
Masango stresses that, as more young people are being diagnosed with breast cancer, people must do self-examinations, and they need to know their body
“Self-examinations can be done in the bathroom, can be done while lying down, while sitting up, and it's easy because now you know that something is going on with you and you have to go check it out.”
Masango further adds that it’s important to know how our bodies feel and know how to spot the changes, and the myth that self-examinations should be done over the age of 40 is a thing of the past, and everyone needs to do regular breast cancer checks.
Her community, including friends, family, church members, and even social media contacts, played a crucial role in providing emotional and practical assistance during chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“I used to say my best friend's place, she took care of me and my friends called, all the donations, because with the financial impact as well, it wasn't an easy journey.
“The transport, having to attend the hospital every day, having to wake up in the morning, 38, 32 times to attend radiation, your skin changing, all that, and they were there for me, they held my hand and they made sure that nothing changed.”
The experience strengthened Masango’s faith and appreciation for her support network, which she describes as "amazing."
Despite experiencing side effects like nausea and fatigue, Masango actively chose to go out, party, and engage in normal activities, often concealing their illness. She aimed to prevent cancer from diminishing her joy and personal identity, even cooking after returning from chemo sessions.
Masango noted an unexpected effect of chemotherapy, describing it as "giving us energy" despite the usual tiredness.
The entrepreneur has partnered with Tempo Luxury to host a special three-course dinner in support of the Cancer Foundation's home and cancer prevention programs.
Dr Kgoale Moabele, conducting breast examinations and discussing the illness. “I'm very excited that the establishment is taking an acknowledgment that it is breast cancer worth that time, and we are still painting the town pink.
“The conversations that we are going to have tomorrow are going to be life-changing.”
In June 2025 at the age of 38, Masango rang the bell and is cancer free.
IOL