Celebrity cooks Fatima Sydow and Gadija Sydow-Noordien are feeling hopeful after both experienced health scares in the past few years.
The famous twins have had serious health issues, with Gadija suffering a stroke in February 2022 and Fatima being diagnosed with soft-tissue cancer in December 2020.
In Gadija’s Mitchells Plain home, the aroma of freshly baked biscuits fills the air as she explains how she dealt with losing part of her mobility due to the stroke.
The mom of four spent six weeks in rehabilitation, effectively learning how to walk again, followed by a further 18 months of physical therapy.
Gadija is one half of the Kaap Kerrie en Koeksisters cooking TV show along with Fatima.
Just before her stroke on February 27 last year, she started her own cooking vlog called Gaja Cooks.
“It’s been a journey of recovery and rediscovery, it’s been the most challenging and difficult time of my life,” said Gadija.
“I lost part of my mobility on my left side because of the stroke, and my speech and vision were affected.
“I never asked ‘why me’ but instead ‘why not me’; this journey was my lesson because I learnt a lot about my strength and ability to move on through whatever faces me.
“My favourite [part of] rehab is hanging the washing and taking it off, I love doing it now.”
The 49-year-old adds that at times she struggled, but showing vulnerability helped her heal.
“You can’t keep everything in, it’s fine to say you’re not OK, it gets challenging and difficult. The key to a successful recovery is to keep your mental capacity strong, she explained.
Meanwhile, Fatima has been recovering in hospital for the past few weeks.
Gadija said her sister’s health is improving, thanks to the support of friends and strangers, who contributed to her BackaBuddy plea for financial aid.
“Hopefully, Fatima will be home soon, radiation is starting soon. As a family, we are trying to keep the good energies up, we laugh and make jokes to overcome this.”
Gadija and her sister share a psychological bond.
“Without communicating, we already know when the other isn’t feeling well.”
The bubbly chef added: “We recorded six seasons before Fatima was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer recently. We had to stop filming... we had no choice.
“The next step for us was to continue doing our cooking vlogs from home for social media and our YouTube channels.”
She thanked followers for their unwavering support.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za