Danny K urges earlier cancer screening to honour wife Lisa Gundelfinger Koppel
The family of Lisa Gundelfinger Koppel has shared that she died due to colorectal cancer which she had been fighting for nearly three years.
“I have lost the wife I worshipped, our three children have lost an extraordinary mother, and her family and friends have lost someone they deeply loved,” her husband, musician and businessperson Danny K, said on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old lawyer, who succumbed to the illness on Sunday, was diagnosed in November 2023.
“From that moment, she fought with extraordinary strength and determination. Together with her family, she searched for hope in South Africa and around the world, pursuing every treatment and every opportunity available to her. Tragically, despite everything, she could not be saved.”
He said she chose to keep her illness private as she never wanted pity, attention or sympathy. “Above all, she wanted to protect her children and preserve their happiness and innocence for as long as possible,” he shared.
Issuing a statement via Instagram on behalf of the Gundelfinger and Koppel families, he said: “Even through the hardest moments, she remained gentle, humble and remarkably brave, inspiring everyone who walked this journey beside her.”
The families are sharing her diagnosis now for improved awareness.
“Colorectal cancer screening was traditionally recommended from age 50, but the disease is increasingly affecting younger people. Today, international guidelines recommend routine screening from age 45 for people at average risk. Persistent symptoms should always be discussed with a doctor and properly investigated.
“Lisa hoped that one day she would use her experience to raise awareness of this disease and help others through early detection. She never got that opportunity. Her family will now carry that purpose forward in her name. The Koppel and Gundelfinger families have been left shattered.”
The families, who thanked the medical professionals who cared for her, have asked for prayers, compassion and privacy as they grieve.
Danny K said her illness will never define her and said she will be remembered for the way she lived and loved: “With kindness, humility, courage and an unwavering devotion to the people who meant everything to her.”