Cancer fight author dies one month after publishin...

Cancer fight author dies one month after publishing his book

Bridget Mabanda

Less than a month after UK-based Tawanda Chamunorwa launched his book Tawanda Forever: A Journey of Bravery and Resilience Through Cancer, he died.

Tawanda launched his book on 23 October.

His mother, Maina Chamunorwa described her son as brave on her Facebook account.

“Family, I come with a heavy heart, my brave boy and champion Tawanda has been promoted to glory. He has rested and we are confident of this Word... To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!!!! I love you,” reads the post.

Tawanda was the Chief Executive Officer of Rare and Loved, a brand started with the aim of raising on awareness brain cancer and its effects on patients and their families, especially in the Black minority ethnic communities.

RARE and LOVED is also a clothing brand that pays tribute to those who are fighting rare conditions.

Tawanda was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, Etemdymoma, at the age of 18 and he had undergone surgeries as tumours were growing on his spine and brain.

In May 2022, his aunt, Cynthia Mukoko, the younger sister to Tawanda’s mum, came up with a go-fund me after Tawanda was told that the hospital had exhausted all treatment options and would be transferring him to palliative care.

They gave him months to live and they were trying to find a clinical trial that could help Tawanda.
After undergoing three brain surgeries, two spinal, 63 radiotherapy sessions and chemotherapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and much more, Tawanda returned to the University of Kent and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Science in 2019.

He took time off after each treatment but his purpose to succeed was ostensible, resulting in the university giving him an honorary degree for his dedication and resilience.