Tag: celebrities

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Good Vibes. Great Music. Real Impact. Join the One Day x SANBS Community Blood Drive

On By ModernMedia

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) and J’Something Bring Blood Donation into the Culture

What if saving a life was part of your weekend plans?

On 6 June 2026, music, culture, community and purpose will come together at Artistry JHB as the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), musician and entrepreneur J’Something host One Day x SANBS Community Blood Drive a unique event designed to make giving blood more accessible, engaging and relevant to a new generation of South Africans.

Every day, blood donors help create more tomorrows for patients across the country. They make it possible for someone to celebrate another birthday, return home to their family, pursue their dreams, or simply get a second chance at life. Yet many South Africans who are eligible to donate have never taken that first step.

Through this purpose-driven partnership, SANBS and J’Something are bringing blood donation into spaces where people naturally connect, create and inspire one another. By blending culture, creativity and community impact, the One Day x SANBS Community BloodDrive aims to show that donating blood is not only life-saving it’s something everyone can be part of.

The result is more than a blood drive. It’s a day party with purpose, where every donation has the potential to save up to three lives.

Blood Drive Details:

Venue: Artistry JHB

Date: 6 June 2026

Time: 09:00 – 15:00

RSVP: tshilidzim@meropa.co.za or 076 306 1197

Please RSVP by Friday,05 June 2026

Secure your spot at the blood drive by completing the quick eligibility screening below.

Whether you’re donating blood or simply coming through to support the movement, expect good music, great energy and a community united for a meaningful cause.

Click here for the quick eligibility screening.

Be the lifeline. Give Blood. Give A Tomorrow.

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions General InterestTags :

Celine Dion Reveals Her Rare Disease Diagnosis

On By ModernMedia
Celine Dion in 2008. Photo by Anirudh Koul. CC2.0

Canadian singer Celine Dion has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disease called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), BBC News reports. The disease causes muscle spasms, interfering with daily activities. Injuries can be sustained from falls caused by spasms experienced while walking.

The 54-year-old singer had been battling with muscle spasms, and since the disease interferes with her singing, she has cancelled all of her concerts scheduled for 2023, putting them off to 2024.

SPS is an extremely rare disease, thought to affect only one in a million individuals. As such, relatively little is known about it and what causes it, although it is associated with autoimmune disorders and often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease.

After a hiatus from 2014 to be with her husband while he battled cancer, she returned to the stage in 2019 with her new album Courage. This tour had a number of cancellations due to the COVID pandemic.

Speaking on an Instagram post, Dion said that she had “a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better” and had the support of her “precious children”.

The singer explained: “I’m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.

“All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.

“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you [and] being on the stage, performing for you.

“I always give 100 per cent when I do my show but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.”

What is stiff person syndrome?

According to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders, SPS is characterised by “fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms. Abnormal postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of the disorder. People with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls. SPS affects twice as many women as men.”

A definitive diagnosis can be made by measuring the level of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies in the blood, which is elevated in people with SPS. GAD is the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyses the conversion of glutamate to GABA

As for management, the symptoms can be well controlled. Pharmacological treatment includes IVIg, anti-anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, anti-convulsants, and pain relievers.

Work continues for better treatments; so far rituximab proved ineffective. At present, research is focused on aetiology and the role of anti-GAD antibodies.

Categories : Cancer General InterestTags :

Radio DJ Mark Pilgrim Shares Good News on His Cancer Treatment

On By ModernMedia

Radio DJ Mark Pilgrim has revealed on Twitter that his latest scan results showed a ‘significant shrinkage’ of all of the tumours present in his lung, spine, leg and lymph nodes.

In March 2022, the radio star revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and that he was to start treatment “in a week”.

Speaking about his most recent diagnosis, he said: “I’m not Chuck Norris. Yes, I’m scared. I am also strong. Both emotions run parallel with each other. I’m under the care of incredible doctors and surrounded by love.”

It is not the first time the popular DJ has been through such difficult times. Pilgrim had already survived stage stage 4 testicular cancer in 1998 at the age of 18. The cancer had spread to his lungs and kidney, and he recalls that his oncologist said that his prognosis was “uncertain”. He endured 9 months of 4-hour chemotherapy sessions.

In 2008 he suffered heart damage from a massive myocardial infarction suffered in the doctor’s office, and last year he tested positive for COVID.

For patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSLC), the most common form of lung cancer, half present at stage 4. In one Canadian study, only 14.9% of patients received chemotherapy as first-line treatment, with most patients receiving palliative radiotherapy.