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Humans of RCL FOODS: Jenny McNamara
Humans of RCL FOODS: Cancer didn’t write the ending
For as long as she can remember, cancer has been part of Cally Frylinck’s family story.
Her grandmother died from breast cancer. Years later, her grandfather lost his battle with melanoma. Other relatives would face their own diagnoses too. Cancer wasn’t something the family heard about from a distance – they had lived through it, grieved it and understood its devastating impact.
Conversations about screenings, mammograms and early detection were commonplace. Not because they were health-conscious by choice, but because experience had taught them how much was at stake.
So, when Cally’s mother, Jenny McNamara, was diagnosed with breast cancer after missing a routine mammogram during the COVID-19 pandemic, the news landed with a familiar heaviness.
“There was shock because it was my mom,” Cally recalls. “But there wasn’t surprise.”
The family knew exactly what cancer was capable of. They had already watched it take people they loved.
This time, however, the story would be different.
At the centre of it all was a woman whose determination was greater than the disease she faced.
A successful businesswoman who later traded boardrooms for life on a farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Jenny McNamara had always built her life around family. Her children, grandchildren, siblings and parents weren’t simply important to her – they were everything.
And when cancer arrived, it quickly became clear that she had no intention of letting it steal the life she loved.
While many people associate a diagnosis with fear and uncertainty, Cally remembers something different.
Action.
“Our attitude was always, ‘What’s the plan?’” she says. “We focused on what came next and how we were going to get through it.”
There was surgery. Radiation. Months of intensive chemotherapy. There were days when treatment left her exhausted and struggling to get out of bed. There were setbacks and moments of fear that weighed heavily on everyone around her.
Yet through it all, one thing never wavered. “She had absolutely no doubt in her mind that she was going to beat it.”
That belief became the foundation of her fight.
One of Cally’s most vivid memories comes not from a hospital room, but from Christmas.
The diagnosis had come shortly before the festive season. Treatment was due to begin in January. Her mother wasn’t feeling well, but she was determined that cancer would not steal precious time with her family.
Relatives flew in from overseas. Grandchildren filled the farm with energy and laughter. Every day was planned around making memories. Meals were shared around crowded tables. Stories were told. Photos were taken. For one unforgettable week, the house overflowed with joy.
Looking back, Cally realises just how much strength that took.
“She wanted to see her children become adults and watch her grandchildren grow up. She was never going to miss out on those moments.”
That same determination carried her through some of the darkest days of treatment.
Halfway through chemotherapy, she contracted salmonella poisoning. Already weakened by months of treatment, the illness left her critically unwell. Ambulances were called. Doctors made house visits. The family feared the worst.
Yet somehow, she found the strength to keep fighting.
For Cally, witnessing her mother’s journey redefined what courage looks like.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.
It was showing up for another treatment when every part of your body wanted to quit. It was finding the strength to smile when you felt your weakest. It was choosing hope, day after day, even when the road ahead was uncertain.
“I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed courage like hers,” says Cally. “Even on the darkest days, she never complained. She just kept going.”
The experience also changed the way Cally thinks about life itself.
When life gets busy, it’s easy to postpone the visit, skip the gathering or assume there will always be another opportunity. Watching her mother fight cancer taught her how dangerous that assumption can be.
“Sometimes we think missing one birthday party or one family event doesn’t matter,” she says. “But it does matter. Those moments become everything.”
Even during treatment, her mother continued to show up for the people she loved. Not because she felt strong enough, but because she understood the value of time.
Today, when Cally reflects on her mother’s cancer journey, she doesn’t think first about illness.
She thinks about resilience. She thinks about perspective.
She thinks about a woman who refused to let cancer define her, and who chose, every single day, to keep living fully despite the challenges she faced.
The greatest victory, however, is that today her mother is cancer-free and thriving.
She remains the same hands-on mother, devoted grandmother, loyal sister and treasured friend she has always been. She is always present for the birthdays, the milestones, the ordinary moments and the extraordinary ones.
For a family that had already experienced the heartbreak of losing loved ones to cancer, her recovery felt like far more than a medical success. It was a triumph of determination, hope and an unwavering refusal to give up.
As Cancer Survivors Month shines a spotlight on the millions of people that have overcome the disease, Cally hopes her family’s story encourages others to prioritise their health and make use of the screening and early detection tools available to them.
“You can’t hide from cancer,” she says. “But we are incredibly fortunate to have access to screening, early detection and world-class medical care. Go for the check-ups. Go for the screenings. Don’t put them off.”
Most importantly, she hopes people remember the lesson her mother lived every day.
Make the phone call.
Go to the birthday party.
Spend the extra hour with the people you love.
Don’t assume there will always be another chance.
Because life can change in an instant. And often, the moments that seem ordinary at the time become the memories that matter most.
For Cally, her mother’s story is not ultimately a story about cancer. It is a story about courage over fear. Hope over uncertainty. Family over everything else.
And above all, it is the story of a woman who chose to keep living, loving and showing up for the people who mattered most – and won.
