Du Plessis, a cancer survivor, motivational speaker and business women, has worked as a volunteer in the cancer arena for 15 years. Understanding the need for urgent changes, she has passionately participated with other volunteers in developing colourful and dynamic initiatives that educate and create cancer awareness in South Africa, making her the perfect candidate to take on this massive task.

“Our organisation has grown to such an extent over the past 18 months that it has become evident that we need to put a strong and effective leader and team in place to take us further. We are delighted to have Janie on board,” says Carl Liebenberg, one of the founding members of PLWC. Du Plessis commented on her appointment saying, “Cancer is a worldwide epidemic that kills more people than Aids, Malaria and TB combined. Six million people die from this disease annually and the frightening reality is that millions don’t even know about the illness. There is a lot of work to be done with regards to advocacy, awareness, education, screening, prevention, patient support and survivorship.”

PLWC facilitates and collaborates with other organisations and projects building innovative partnerships ensuring more effective cancer care services within South Africa. Several Cancer related NGO’sare standing together and strengthening the voice of cancer patients in South Africa, without losing their identity and focus of their own projects.

Projects currently within the PLWC umbrella include:

- The PLWC Cancer Buddies project;
- The Patient Empowerment Project: The cancer advocacy initiative of PLWC;
- Can-Sir - The voice of men with cancer;
- Cancer.vive: The cancer awareness and education project. The annual awareness motorcycle ride has been hailed as one of the most dynamic cancer initiatives in the country;
- CanSurvive Support Groups - based at the Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Johannesburg; and
- Lend Your Hand: Cancer ambassadors awareness and fundraising project.

The PLWC structure provides for less competition and great collaboration and pooling of resources between member organisations , partners and projects, thus increasing efficiencies and pooling of strengths, while the common denominator cancer prevention and care draws all the cancer organisations , partners and projects together.

For more information, visit www.plwc.org.za. Alternatively, phone Tina Thiart on 021 7829113 or email info@plwc.org.za.