Dale Benson (39), an educator from Cape Town, South Africa, who had been teaching English in Vietnam, arrived safely home on the 15th of July after receiving the devastating news that he is dying of stage 4 cancer.
Time was of the essence
After experiencing severe stomach pains for a couple weeks, Dale was rushed to hospital on Friday, 2 July 2021 for an emergency operation, when doctors found cancer in the whole of his abdominal area.
Without medical aid, Dale, who was in ‘bad shape and in a lot of pain’, was being treated at the University hospital in Hanoi. The doctors had estimated that he had about one month to live without chemotherapy
The race to get Dale home
As Dale’s mother, Inge Bosman, was unable to fly to Vietnam, due to their borders being closed because of the pandemic, the family made arrangements to have Dale airlifted out of the country with a medical plane, which estimated to cost an astronomical amount.
“It’s difficult to express the exact emotions I am feeling in words, to be able to thank each person for their generosity towards me. Even though we are experiencing a global pandemic and every penny counts these days, all of you without hesitation came forward to donate to my cause. I will never be able to thank you enough. I truly hope one day in whatever life it may be that I can be there for you. I am going to fight this disease with every piece of strength I have. Warrior mode activated. Love you all to the moon and back.” _ says Dale.
To assist the family with funds to cover the cost of the trip, and get Dale the best possible medical care on South African soil, a friend of the family, Karen Baschiera, launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to appeal to the public for support.
Since the launch of the campaign on 6 July 2021, over R209 000 has been raised through generous contributions from 459 donors.
“I am overwhelmed by the financial and emotional support from each and every person that commented..Has put me in a such a loved space” – says Inge.
Support Dale’s cause by donating to his BackaBuddy campaign here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/dale-benson
Alternatively, make a donation via Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/dale-benson
Manning up to cancer: A Message from Dale (17 FEB 2022)
“I am currently busy with my 8th round of chemo. At the end of this month, I will be given a 3-month break from it and continue again in May. The first scan I had a few months ago showed that the chemo was able to dry up the ascites fluid which was causing so many problems for me. I was hardly able to eat and my health was declining rapidly. I was admitted to hospice for them to monitor me. After spending 3 days there I managed to somehow get well enough to be discharged. It was then my chemo journey started and after a month or 2, I was feeling so much better.
The chemo of course has its own side effects but staying positive and managing the effects makes it tolerable. I have changed my diet and unfortunately had to cut out things (sugar) which is not easy but definitely helping with my success of beating this illness. So it’s been around 8 months and today. I am feeling strong”, says Dale.
Thank you to the 459 incredible donors who supported Inge in bringing her son, Dale, Home From Vietnam
I wake up each day grateful to start a new day with a smile on my face and a warrior spirit in my heart. Every day I also think of all the wonderful humans that helped me get to where I am today. I am going to continue fighting whilst living the best life I can live. My next scan will be in a few months and I will then be able to see how the treatment is going. Will update you all again then. ❤️ – says Dale
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