It is his battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; the cancer that took his life, that has affirmed his position as a permanent member in the hall of fame of Zimbabwean celebrities.
Dhewa (in picture) was diagnosed of cancer in 2006 and battled the condition until October 15 this year when he succumbed to the dreaded disease.What makes Dhewa a hero is the fact that he has become the first public figure who stood up to lobby for a cancer awareness programme.
Over the years, numerous public figures including politicians in the country have died of cancer but nothing significant has been done.
Dhewa’s battle with the disease, particularly this year, inspired people into doing something significant towards his recovery.
Because of Dhewa’s position in the society, his fight had practically become a battle for the whole nation.
The media was awash with updates on the status of his health with newspaper articles being written week in week out.
The most significant media product that chronicles Dhewa’s struggle is the documentary which ironically is titled The Show Goes On.
The idea behind the documentary was to expose the shrill cries by cancer patients while others have died in silence.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The executive producer of the documentary, Abel Dzobo said he would not rest until the documentary was in the public domain.
“My goal is to fulfill the promise I made and I will certainly do so.
“If all goes according to plan then we will be launching the documentary on October 26 though we are still to finalise on the venue,” said Dzobo.According to Dzobo, the 30-minute documentary will provide information on things like where a cancer patient has to seek medical assistance while it dwells much on the processes that Dhewa went through.
“This would be a solid piece of information on cancer to be released into the public domain and I am happy to release such information and I owe it to Dhewa,” he said.
When Dhewa died, he had started receiving Rituximab, a cancer drug invented in India. It is one of the latest cancer drugs and is said to be the best. However, when it was administered it was far too late as his immune system had weakened.
Chemotherapy, which is widely used on cancer patients, has become outdated and it has been discovered that when it destroys the cancer affected body cells it does not spare the good cells.
This explains why Dhewa’s hair was no longer growing and he had to spot a cap during his last shows.
It also explains why he was diagnosed of tumours, kidney problems and the lung problem which eventually took his life.
Had this Rituximab been administered earlier, who knows, Dhewa could still be alive today.
