Sick kid, mother and sleeping in hospital bed for healthcare, wellness and surgery recovery. Mom, child and patient resting in clinic for medical support, comfort and healing illness with family
Chenille Jackson is a 23-year-old mother of two kids and a self-employed local hairstylist in Eden Park, Alberton. Her life has been anything but normal thus far, yet she continues to grow through the unpredictable pains of life.
Chenille’s life had drastically changed overnight after her daughter, Melonique Walburg, was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the age of two.
She is now four years old, turning five in October.
Prior to the diagnosis, Chenille said that Melonique was a normal and happy baby.
“We never noticed that anything was wrong with her, because she was healthy. She was fine, she was playing, she was eating.”
“She was doing everything a normal, healthy baby would do. But her stomach was very big, and it was hard. And it’s been like that for months.
“At first, we thought maybe she’s just constipated, and realised that her condition was not improving as her stomach kept growing over time,” Jackson told The Citizen.
The diagnosis
In January 2024, Melonique’s daycare teacher had phoned Chenille after discovering a bump on her stomach during the day.
“At first, I was very confused because when she left, she was fine. Her stomach was big, but there was no bump.”
Following the call, Chenille immediately went to fetch her and took her to the doctor, where scans were conducted.
After discovering something was wrong, the doctors confirmed that Melonique had kidney cancer.
Chenille paused, trying to find the words to express herself after learning her daughter was sick.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I felt. I had a lot of emotions at once. There was just a lot going through my mind. It was very overwhelming.”
“I was very sad. I couldn’t believe that my baby had cancer. I mean, she was just a baby.”
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The ripple effect
The diagnosis not only affected her immediate life but also negatively impacted her business and studies.
Before the diagnosis, Chenille was completing her final year in human resource management and labour relations at North-West University (NWU) while doing hair on the side to provide for her children.
After finding out that her daughter was sick, she could not complete her studies.
“I couldn’t work at the time because I had to be at the hospital every day. I also couldn’t study. I had to drop out of varsity because I couldn’t go back because the bursary rejected me.”
Since she had been spending most of her time at the hospital looking after her daughter, Chenille was unable to braid hair, which hindered her income and brought her studies to a standstill.
“I just had to be there for her, and I just had to look after her. My mother would help me with transport money and food for us to eat at the hospital.”
Chenille is unable to complete her studies but is eager to return.
“I’m financially incapable of returning to my studies currently, but I’m definitely going back soon.”
Stuck between a rock and a hard place
Chenille recalls the time when Melonique had to undergo surgery as “very scary”. Her mind drifted to dark places she did not want to even begin to imagine.
“You know, you have to think about all the things that can go wrong, but you still have to be hopeful that everything is going to go well. So that was very difficult for me, but we pushed through.”
On the day of the surgery, “the surgeons explained to me that it would take up to two hours for them to get the surgery done, and I couldn’t go in with anyone else.”
She anxiously sat alone in the corridors, waiting for an update, while people text her to ask for updates.
“It wasn’t easy waiting because anything can go wrong while the surgeons are performing surgery. There was just a lot going on in my mind at the time.”
She said that four hours had passed and no one said anything to her.
She called her mom in distress.
“I was like, you know what, these people said it’s two hours.”
“Two hours max, its going to take for them to complete the surgery.
“It’s already been four hours in, and no one is telling me anything. There are no updates. I don’t know what’s happening, and at the time, I was so stressed, and I started crying again because I got emotional.”
“[Be]cause now I’m thinking did something go wrong?”
The most difficult part of the experience was leaving her daughter at the Baragwanath hospital at night to go back home.
“She [Melonique] wasn’t used to not having me around at that time, and she wasn’t very familiar with the place. She was very scared.”
“I know people will take care of her, but I also know they won’t take care of her the way I would.”
“And the reality kicked in at that point.”
“I never thought I would have to shave her hair.”
Chenille reflects on the moment reality kicked in when they had to shave off all of Melonique’s hair.
“The day we had to shave off her hair. That’s when I realised that, ‘no’, this is really happening. Like she’s really diagnosed with cancer, and the reality kicked in at that point.”
“At first, I didn’t think it was going to be necessary for us to cut her hair off. But it started falling out, and we had to cut it off.”
She recalls her and Melonique being very emotional, along with her brother, who helped shave her head.
“Melo [Melonique] has a very special connection with everyone in my family. Everyone has a different connection with her. So, it really affected us in different ways.”
Life’s adjustments
Chenille says that her daughter’s diagnosis changed her as a person completely,
“It changed how I view things. It changed my perspective on life. Not in a bad way.”
“It’s not an easy thing to go through. It’s not easy to see your child go through this whole process, and there’s nothing that you can do to make it better.”
She said that Melonique was not aware of what was happening. All she knew was that she was unwell and needed to go to the doctor to help her get better.
“As a child, she wanted to know why she had to go to the doctor, why she had to sleep at the hospital? You know, it’s just a lot of whys,” Chenille explained.
“She complained about her stomach that was aching for a few days, so it was easier to tell her, the doctor just wants her stomach to feel better.”
She realises that anything can happen at anytime,
“And we just have to, I don’t want to say prepare, but we just have to go with life and always pray.”
Chenille says that her faith in God was the only thing that kept her going during this uncertain time,
“A lot of people asked me how are you still smiling, how are you still going on with your life, how are you not miserable?”
“I was just very calm because I believed that God would make a way.”
“I used to cry at night, but I just prayed and asked God for strength, and I knew that I couldn’t look weak. I can’t cry in front of her because you have to be strong.”
“At a time, the only thing that kept me going or motivated me was if she saw I am fine, then she would be fine”
Cupcakes for Cancer
“Ever since I went through this journey with my daughter, I just wanted to do something for kids battling with cancer, as well as support families that are going through this journey.”
On Friday, 25 February 2026, Chenille hosted a cupcake for cancer bake sale at home in an effort to support other families who have cancer patients.
This initiative was inspired by the Cupcakes of Hope Foundation that provided Chenille and her family with financial assistance to take care of their day-to-day needs during a difficult time in her life.
“I also just want to be a help to other families because I know how much it helps. Every little bit helps you.”
Over 150 cupcakes have been baked, and the funds that were raised during sales were donated to the Cupcakes of Hope Foundation.
The sale kicked off after 12pm, and the last sale was completed around 6pm at her house.
“Initially, we were only going to sell 48 cupcakes, and we ended up selling about 140 cupcakes! The support was heartwarming,” Chenille said that it exceeded her expectations.
Pain turns to growth
This experience has also inspired Chenille to create a growth oil she now sells to her clients, who reap the benefits of the product as well.
She said it all started with a conversation.
“I had a random conversation with Melo [Melonique], and she was asking me, ‘Can I braid her hair and add beads when it grows back. And really, I just woke up one day with the idea to make oil that would grow her hair, and that’s how it started.”
Melonique, now in remission, has a head full of hair and only goes to the doctor for regular check-ups, while she enjoys life as a normal little girl who has overcome the battles of a warrior.
While Chenille continues to braid hair and encourage others in their journey.
READ MORE: ‘No blood for my child’: Dad refuses transfusion because of religious beliefs
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