DIVINE TIMING How a sinus infection led to life-saving cancer diagnosis

WHAT began as a stubborn sinus infection turned into a life-changing diagnosis for 65-year-old Shirley Reddy of Hillary.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER [e-mail]

Shirley Reddy

The retiree, grandmother, and yoga enthusiast never expected that a routine visit to her longtime GP would reveal something far more serious than a nasal blockage - stage 1 breast cancer.

"I honestly thought it was just my sinuses acting up. I tried steaming, home remedies and even went to two different doctors who gave me antibiotics, but nothing worked."

Amid this, she had been preparing for cataract surgery on her right eye.

But when her GP, Dr Luxmi Naidoo returned to South Africa and resumed her practice, Reddy decided to seek her opinion, something she now called divine timing.

"She looked at me and said: 'If this doesn't clear, you'll need a drainage. But in the meantime, go for a mammogram.'

"I laughed and said: 'Are you kidding me? At my age?' "And she told me straight: 'I'm not asking, I'm telling you.'"

Despite her initial hesitation, having already postponed her cataract operation three times, Reddy finally heeded her doctor's advice.