MAGIC FOR RHYN – GOAL R200 000
In June last year, when my son was 7 months old, I picked up very slight convulsions. The doctors asked me to try and take a video so that they can see what it looks like. I did and Red Lights started to show.
We did an EEG, but that was clean. They continued with an MRI Scan and there they picked up some abnormalities. No one could tell us what it was because it was very small. We then decided to see a neurologist and a neurosurgeon in Johannesburg ASAP. We got an appointment in August last year. Between June and August, we had to spend thousands of Rands on blood tests, lumber punches etc.
The scans in Johannesburg were much clearer, but still, no one knew what this was. According to them, there was no growth between June and August and that we must wait for January to do yet another scan. In October there was a worldwide conference that was held in Johannesburg and there were thousands of Neuro specialists attending. They discussed Rhyn’s case as well. Even then there was no certainty of what it could be.
Here we are 5 months after the last scan. The mass grew up to twice its size. They say now that they are more certain that this is a low-grade tumour. There is no Neurosurgeon or Neurologist that wants to touch it. They say it’s not operable because the tumour is intertwined with the brain. They told us that unfortunately there is nothing they can do.
With the Grace of God, we were referred to Dr. Enslin in Cape Town at the Red Cross Paediatric Hospital. He says that he will be able to operate without doing any damage to the rest of the brain. Unfortunately, he has to take out the right frontal lobe of the brain. He won’t be able to remove everything and so my little one will have to get chemo for 18 months after.
So with this short history, we stand on the road where my Friendly, Blue-Eyed, One Year Old, Baby Boy, with lashes for days, has to undergo an operation on the 20th of February in Cape Town.
The amount that we need is made up of future costs, future treatment, flights (we live in Bloemfontein), Transport, Blood Tests, Scans. We also plan to try and get help overseas in the future.
He is my Peter Pan. I’ll move mountains for him. But I can’t do this alone.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you