“The loss of my sister hit me horribly.” — Joke Silva

This one is an emotional story. Joke Silva reflects on the profound impact of her sister’s battle with cancer and her eventual passing. The journey began when her sister confided in her about a concerning health issue, leading to a diagnosis of cancer.

The difficult part was that Joke couldn’t provide the care and support her sister needed because of her other commitments. Instead, her sister went abroad with one of their siblings to seek medical treatment.

Despite the geographical distance, Joke’s sister received visits from well-wishers who offered comfort and hope.

Joke says: “The loss of my sister hit me horribly. We discovered she had cancer, I mean, she called me aside and said ‘Joke this is what I found’ and I said ‘okay we have to find out what it is’ Then the test was done and they discovered she had cancer.

“We travelled together for her first lumpectomy that she did and I think what made it really hard was the fact that at the same time, another person I loved very much was ill and so I couldn’t look after her, so she was abroad with one of our sisters, God bless her.

“One of the people who went to see her while she was in London said something to me after she died, she said ‘Oh don’t worry, my sister is going to come and take me home, she will definitely come and take me home’.

“That really gave comfort because she knew I was with her”.