…as Senkatana Oncology Clinic and Blue Ribbon join forces to ease the food burden on struggling cancer patients.

20 June 2025 by Limpho Sello

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Ntaoleng Spaee, aged 55, has lost both her breasts to cancer because when doctors diagnosed her in 2016 and urged her to seek treatment in South Africa, she chose instead to stay behind and sell bread and tea. For Spaee, the streets of Maseru offered the only way to provide for her children—children who had no one else to care for them if she left for treatment in Bloemfontein.

“I realised I was going to suffer too,” Spaee told Uncensored News on June 19, 2025.

But during the seven years Spaee spent selling bread and tea on the streets of Maseru, cancer showed no mercy for her decision to put her family first. By the time she returned to Senkatana Oncology Clinic, it had spread aggressively—leaving doctors no choice but to remove her left breast in September and her right breast in October 2023.

“That was the year I saw my grave very near me. It was difficult,” Spaee said, adding “but in 2024, I got better. I rose from my sickbed.”

Despite leaving her sickbed, Spaee said the lumps began growing again in 2024, and she was immediately put on oral chemotherapy. So far, she has seen little improvement.

“This year, I will be starting drip chemotherapy.” But the real question remains: is hunger still a threat to her life? Yes, Spaee explained—nutrition remains one of her biggest challenges.

“I know we have to eat well. I used to grow crops where I live, but it’s become difficult. Sometimes, when people give me money, I buy a kilogram of maize meal and cabbage. But the last three months, March, April, and May, have been very tough,” she said.

You can’t fight cancer on an empty stomach

Spaee’s story of cancer and hunger is not an isolated one. In separate interviews, survivors, patients, and health professionals told this publication that poverty and food insecurity continue to rob many of the chance to heal fully.

Thato Taunyane Motsamai, an oncology nutritionist at the clinic, told Uncensored News on 18 June 2025 that: “Lack of food or proper nutrition is one of the biggest challenges we see in cancer patients.”

Through counselling sessions, Motsamai and her team explore patients’ food access, living conditions, and support systems.

“We ask how they eat at home, who helps them prepare meals, especially if they are too weak to cook,” she said, adding “many of them understand what they are supposed to eat, but they simply don’t have the food.”

Spaee confirmed this reality. “Sometimes I have no other option. When I went to the hospital, I was always told my weight had dropped, my cells had dropped, and my immune system was weak. They gave me supplements because my body salts were also low,” she said.

Motsamai stressed good nutrition especially critical for people living with cancer and other chronic illnesses.

Her colleague, Mpati Lekhotla, agrees: “Cancer patients often suffer from drastic weight loss. For their immune systems to recover, they need proper nutrition.”

The nutritionists advised patients to eat plant-based proteins like beans, peas, lentils, seeds, and nuts; foods that are accessible, nourishing, and less risky than fatty meats.

“Meat has protein, yes, but also fats that can clog the blood vessels and cause weight gain, which can complicate treatment,” Motsamai said, stressing “that’s why we encourage limited intake of meat-based proteins.”

How cancer changed Moleleki’s plate and perspective

Matebello Moleleki, a breast cancer survivor from Semphetenyane, Maseru, says her battle with the disease has transformed how she views food and nutrition. Speaking to Uncensored News on February 5, 2025, in commemoration of World Cancer Day, Moleleki shared how the experience reshaped her understanding of what it means to eat well.

“It was only during treatment that I learned how important nutrition is and how bad some of my eating habits were,” Moleleki said.

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Before falling ill, Moleleki often relied on processed meats like wors. “I used to buy a box of ten trays, it was affordable, easy to prepare, and quick, especially since I lived alone. I’d prepare a tray after work. To me, it was the best meal,” she said.

But that changed after attending nutrition sessions during her check-ups. “I saw myself in the stories they told about unhealthy eating. I reflected on how I used to live and realised I needed to change,” she said.

Moleleki now grows crops in her backyard and limits her meat intake. “People love meat, but we must eat it in moderation. Eating homegrown food is healthier. I encourage everyone to eat well, not just cancer patients. Good nutrition helps prevent illnesses too.”

Both Moleleki and Spaee are examples of patients trying to apply this advice despite financial hardships. Moleleki now grows her own food; Spaee remembers surviving on peaches from her yard. “Sometimes we had nothing else, so I would pick peaches and eat them with my children,” she recalled.

Meanwhile, Motsamai emphasised the importance of tailored nutrition support. “Nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on the type of cancer and treatment. That’s why we assess each patient individually.”

Fighting hunger one harvest at a time

In October 2024, Senkatana Oncology Clinic held an awareness campaign which it used as a platform to engage the private sector on how best cancer patients can be supported in nutrition related areas. This campaign led to a new support from Blue Ribbon.

“They visited our clinic, asked what our patients need, and committed to helping,” said Motsamai.

On June 11, 2025, Blue Ribbon handed over donations to seed packets and gardening tools to Senkatana Oncology Clinic.

“They now provide 40 loaves of bread every two days and food parcels for patients referred to Bloemfontein. Additionally, they donated eight seed packets (500g to 1kg each), gardening tools like a wheelbarrow, two hosepipes, three watering cans, and digging tools,” explained Motsamai.

The clinic has set aside a plot on its premises to grow vegetables. “Once we start harvesting, we’ll identify patients most in need and give them some produce,” Motsamai said.

“We also have a nutrition corner where we teach food preparation, preservation, and hygiene.”

To sustain the garden, the clinic will sell part of the harvest to fund seed purchases and is working on proposals for an irrigation system and shade nets.

“We plan to start with winter crops like peas,” Motsamai said.

She added that the clinic serves patients from across Lesotho, including those from remote districts.

“Some arrive very early, without having eaten, and many of our lodging patients can’t afford food while awaiting referrals. These vegetables will help make a big difference.”

Motsamai also stressed the need for broader nutrition education in Lesotho.

“In our culture, we eat a lot of pap and porridge. Sometimes it’s not just poverty, it’s a lack of knowledge. We need to reach people from pregnancy through childhood, so that healthy eating becomes a lifelong practice.”