Cancer victim sues dad for maintenance

A YOUNG student desperate to fund his studies and pay for his cancer treatment is suing his father for maintenance.

"I am quite angry that he can't take responsibility and that he can't be a parent," the 20-year-old said after coming face to face with his father in a Johannesburg court last week.

His life was turned upside down in January. Fresh out of school with dreams of joining Britain's Royal Marines, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Chemotherapy and two operations - one to remove a testicle and another to mend a lung punctured during treatment - followed. There has been no sign of the cancer since April, but he is not yet in remission and his medical bills continue to mount.

He is demanding about R12000 a month towards expenses, which include food and rent for the home he shares with his mother.

He cannot be named because the maintenance matter stems from his parents' divorce . He is suing because he is older than 18 but cannot maintain himself.

He said his monthly expenses were nearly R26000, which include the monthly fee to maintain his sperm at a sperm bank, a precaution because infertility is a possible side effect of his medication.

He is asking his parents to share the costs. This week, father and son could not reach an agreement. "I would like to have a relationship with my father, but it just hasn't happened," he said.

The case continues next month.