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I’m Sharney Blackway, a 28-year-old South African living in Johannesburg.

I married my high school sweetheart, together we are raising our beautiful daughter. Prior to my cancer diagnosis, I worked full-time, earning minimum wage. With the rising cost of living, I was forced to taking on a secondary job to cover basic cost of living. I became a content creator, significantly growing my brand. I've always been a hairstylist and used my spare time as a stylist for added income.

I was at the pinnacle of life just a few months ago, realised a dream of renovating our home. I dropped from a size 44-30 my health was in great shape. In 2020, I lost my grandmother to Covid. I hoped that by taking control of my health, I would be able to prevent my young daughter from losing me prematurely, or at the very least be role model. My weight loss journey propelled my social media following, I was encouraged by the representation across the world, people whose lives changed by my transformation journey.

I noticed tenderness in my left breast and dismissed it as the by-product of periods or gym as I'd had an injury before, so I ruled that out. In the summer of 2022, I consulted my doctor, who told me that I had nothing to worry about as it was a fibroadenoma and sent me home with pain meds. The meds had finished, the pain got worse and 6 weeks later, I returned my GP brushed it off. This affected me at work, I assumed it was all in my head, so I covered up the discomfort. I couldn't endure the pain as it started to affect my daily life and returned to the GP in September. I insisted he refer me to a specialist for extensive testing, which he hesitantly did.

By the end of September, I had an ultrasound, a mammogram and an external biopsy, the results were all negative, I was convinced I was insane. The discomfort somewhat subsided at gym, and our wedding anniversary celebrations resulted in reduced gym sessions. With immense pain it took everything to return to the GP, who again looked agitated by my request and plea for a referral to have the lump removed.

My employer was not happy with me needing more time off since it’s been highlighted as a trend. I thought, what’s a few more weeks of waiting for a lump that might be “nothing”. January 2023, I said no more, walked into the surgeon's office, not expecting much. His warm reception and urgency had been far beyond anything experienced. After my consultation, I was scheduled for surgery to remove the lump which was sent for a biopsy since it had become stuck to my muscle, which fibroadenomas are absent from. On January 16th, I was summoned to the surgeons' offices.

Mrs Blackway, you have cancer, my husband and I sobbed. We couldn't believe it, I was told at once I'd need two more surgical operations the following day to insert a chemo pod and another biopsy. I was numb, this is not what we had planned either financially or emotionally, particularly because my baby girl had just officially started school.

I was completely reliant on overtime and after being diagnosed, some of my bills could not be paid. Due to the size of the lump, I couldn't commit to my content creation or hairstylist job whilst also recovering from surgery and chemo. Not only was I diagnosed with cancer, but I additionally lost the extra income that kept us "afloat."

My family is a great support system, but we're a middle-class family. They help where they can, however these medical bills and my basic needs are well beyond their means. With this in mind, the primary objective of this page is to raise awareness of misdiagnosis while also soliciting donations for medical expenses.

My medical insurance covers 100% of the specialists' fees, however specialists charge 300%, which is 200% above coverage. Our medical expenses are increasing daily, and any financial support is truly valued as I focus my mind on completing a number of chemo sessions, accompanied by additional treatment.

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