Thinus Ferreira
The radio presenter and former TV presenter Darren Scott who returned to South Africa last year to work for money to pay for treatment after he was diagnosed with cancer yet again, says "it's rough" and that he's been living alone working on radio just to pay his medical bills.
The 61-year-old - who presented on Capital radio, 702, M-Net, SuperSport, 5FM, East Coast Radio, Jacaranda 94.2 and Hot 91.9FM where he is currently heard on Sundays - didn't have medical aid cover when he came back to South Africa last year two years after he had emigrated.
Darren Scott has had several bouts with cancer since 1986 and is currently undergoing immunotherapy, with a BackaBuddy campaign that his ex-wife Sarah-Kate Accetta started last year to try and help raise funds for his cancer treatment.
"It's not my first rodeo," Scott said on Tuesday night, speaking in English in a late-night interview on the Afrikaans talk show Laataand met Rian on kykNET (DStv 144).
About his latest cancer, he explained "This is a bit of a different story".
"Normally, when I have had cancers, I've had them cut out by my various doctors and oncologists."
He was first diagnosed in 1986 with melanoma that he blames on the sun, noting, "Absolutely it caused it. With me, [and] a friend of mine who died a year later of exactly the same thing - Liam Flanningan"
"The last one was inside my aorta, heart. The doctor got it out. I've never had chemo, never had radiation and just carried on with my life. I've never let it sit on my mind, never let it weigh on me - just carried on with life."
About his latest cancer scare, he said "When this one happened, I was in the USA".
Opening up about his previous cancer battles, he explained that "You get a very aggressive cancer called a nodular. The one on my chin was a nodular. This was a big one, it was very aggressive. You basically get told you have a 30% chance of making it five years".
"So I had another one on my back in 2022 and I knew it immediately because I was driving one day ... blood on the floor. Go to my doctor, takes it out, comes back and you know the doctor's message: 'I'm so sorry,' and you know that it's bad."
"And that was a nodular. I had it taken out, I went for a scan after taking it out to see if it's spread or if it's still anywhere and the doctor said the scan is clear."
I went overseas and three months into my trip there, there was a lump under my right arm and I knew immediately in 2023 I wasn't clear. I found a lump which was a secondary to that one on my back.
Expensive cancer cost
Darren Scott revealed that his cancer cost is R160 000 per immunotherapy treatment, every six weeks.
"They've reduced mine to every three weeks which is R80 000 which comes to the same difference," he said.
"I've never been the kind of person who said 'I'm not going to make it but what scared me is when the doctor told me that 'You need to get this treatment as soon as possible otherwise you're going to suffocate to death'. And I said 'What kind of time you're talking about?' And he said you've got to get this stuff in a couple of weeks."
"And its R80 000. Where am I just suddenly fork that out?"
Scott said "Doctors - and when it comes to cancer - the first thing is always the fear that puts into people. You'll do whatever they say - 'Okay you need to go on chemo and radiation'. The very first guy told me that - you need to go on chemo and radiation."
"I was a young 22-year-old. I just started a TV career, I've just been given a job at M-Net. I had a radio career that was going strong. I basically said 'eff you'. I didn't want to do it. I said I'll take my chances."
He explained that he didn't want to do chemotherapy because "I've seen my grandmother on chemo. I've seen Liam Flannigan - I've seen what happened to him on chemo. I just don't want to go out that way. Those two alone."
Living alone, doing radio to pay cancer bills
On why he's back in South Africa, Darren Scott said "I returned to work so I can earn money to carry on with the treatment", while his two boys remain in the United States.
"My ex-wife has been amazing. The boys love it there. They are so happy. They are thriving in that environment.
"It's rough at the moment. It really is. It kinda hits you. It's hard because my family's away and that hits me every day. My two boys and my dad - thousands of miles away."
I live alone here now and I work radio to cover bills," he remarked.
"The radio station has been good in certain ways but they've also said 'Listen, we can't keep you on air if you can't speak properly and that is also for me - having pride and having done radio so long - not being able to speak properly is like 'wow'. It's hard. So there's a lot going on."
"I'm not an emotional person but I have been very the last few weeks. I take it day by day, trying to be strong. I hate asking for money," he said.
