GIVE GRACEY THE GIFT OF LIFE: Fourteen-month-old, Gracey Green is in dire need of a stem cell transplant. You could be her match.
Gracelyn (Gracey) Green – an adorable toddler from Atlantis, Cape Town hopes to win over the hearts of thousands of strangers throughout the country in a desperate plea to save her life.
The fourteen-month-old was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) – a rare cancer of the blood that affects young children and her only chance of survival is a stem cell transplant.
The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), which is facilitating a donor match for Gracey, is imploring those of colour to get tested to see if they could be a possible stem cell match.
Zaahier Isaacs, Acting Head of Patient Services for the SABMR says Gracey is classified as an “emergency transplant case”, which means there’s no time to waste.
“In most cases, family members, especially siblings are generally most suitable, but even then, only 30% of patients are lucky enough to find a suitable match among their relatives. That’s why we must cast the net wider to the public to find the best possible match.
Without a stem cell transplant, Gracey might not make her second birthday.
“Due to the family’s financial circumstances, all testing and collection of stem cells will be funded via the SABMR’s Patient Assistance Programme, so they don’t need to be burdened further with any medical expenses. Everything is in place, now we just need a donor match.
“Brave little Gracey has already endured three blocks of chemotherapy that have been unsuccessful. She was diagnosed last August, and time is running out. We are relying on the kindness of a stranger to come to her aid.
To raise the estimated R500 000 needed to find Gracey a suitable stem cell donor, the SABMR, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, hoping the little one will be able to celebrate her second birthday.
Funds raised will be used to procure additional buccal swab kits (testing kits), and cover the costs of donors’ medical tests in the hopes to save Gracey’s life.
“When we see little children carrying such heavy burdens, we can only hope and pray that the donor community will open their hearts, to lighten the load. Right now little Gracey is waiting for her miracle, and we know that her knight in shining armor is out there” says Catherine Du Plooy, BackaBuddy COO.
Her mother, Shanique Green, died last June in a fire that emblazoned the family’s home in Atlantis. Minutes before her last breath, she handed Gracey to a bystander through the window and went back to try to save her grandmother, but this proved fatal.
Lorenzo Erasmus, Gracey’s father, says it took a long time to come to terms with Shanique’s death and then to hear the devastating news of Gracey’s illness was just too much to bear.
“Doctors aren’t certain how long she will live without a transplant, but our focus right now is to find the best match. The better the match, the better her survival rate after the procedure.” – says Lorenzo
Gracey with her dad, Lorenzo Erasmus. Image: Carte Blanche
Her aunt, Lizel Solomons says symptoms first appeared in July last year when she noticed Gracey’s unusually swollen tummy. After a GP examined her, an ambulance was dispatched, and they were rushed to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
“That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong,” says Solomon.
“A series of tests showed that Gracey had an enlarged spleen, liver and lymph nodes, which eventually led to a JMML diagnosis. It happens when certain white blood cells, called monocytes and myelocytes, don’t mature as they should. This can either happen suddenly or can be associated with other genetic disorders in some children. In Gracey’s case, it’s linked to the former.
“Since the diagnosis, she’s been on several chemotherapy drugs to slow the spread of cancer cells and have undergone chemo without any improvement, so now our only hope is a stem cell transplant.
“My plea is to everyone in our community to help find a donor for our little angel. There’s a match waiting for Gracey, but time is running out. We need every single person who can, to register as a donor. If anyone deserves a second chance, Gracey does.”
According to the SABMR, people of colour are heavily underrepresented in the registry and it is therefore much more difficult for patients with a diverse ethnic heritage to find a matching donor.
Isaacs says Gracey’s chance of finding a match is about one in 100 000, but the SABMR remains hopeful.
“The likelihood of people from mixed ethnic backgrounds finding a successful match is a mere 37% compared to patients from European descent whose chances are 72%.
“The procedure to donate stem cells is non-invasive and takes less than a few minutes to sign up on our website. Anyone in good health, between the ages of 16 and 45 can register.”
The SABMR (NPO) was established in 1991, motivated by the concern that although bone marrow transplants were a life-saving treatment option, they were only available to patients with a matching donor in their family. Today, the SABMR searches both locally and internationally for donors, thereby making collaboration with international registries and observing universal standards of practice essential.
To date, the SABMR has helped save the lives of over 550 patients with life-threatening blood disorders by matching them with healthy, unrelated bone marrow donors from South Africa and the rest of the world.
According to SABMR, Sustainability Portfolio Manager, Kamiel Singh, there are currently only 74 000 donors registered on the site to cater to over 57 million South Africans.
Create a crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R310 Million.
Thobile Maphanga, a dance practitioner, producer, creative collaborator, and writer from Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, has been invited to represent South Africa at the prestigious Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Canada in June 2022.
The Festival Academy offers professional development and leadership training to festival makers globally as an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA).
Thobile will be one of only 35 participants globally to attend this amazing opportunity.
She will be participating in a seven-day training program for like-minded young artists who are interested in becoming festival directors, working in programming or related departments at a festival.
“I see the role of artists, cultural spaces, and festivals to be more vital now than ever and I am passionate about amplifying voices that have been othered and silenced.”
“I believe through festival platforms we can do this more frequently and effectively. I am eager to create spaces where people can commune and exchange ideas, thoughts, and provocations in a respectful manner & where diverse voices can be heard” says Thobile.
Thobile believes that her role as a mentee and choreographer for the Jomba Festival at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) has prepared her for the spotlight on the international stage.
To be able to attend the prestigious Atelier for Young Festival Managers event, Thobile has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, appealing to the arts community as she opens the doors for other local talents.
Since the launch of the campaign to cover her travel and related expenses, over R70 000 has been raised which exceeded her target, with the support of over 59 donors sending applause and well-wishes.
“By contributing to this fund, you are assisting not only my personal growth but helping our community to remain relevant, connected, and ever-growing through sustainable practices. I am exceedingly proud to be representing South Africa on this global stage ” says Thobile.
Messages of encouragement come pouring in for Thobile:
“All the best on this adventure. I will be watching from afar. I know only great things are coming your way. This is the start. Lots of love Sarah.” – Sarah Herd
“You are so inspiring, your thoughtful and creative energy impacts us all. – Osmosiiza
“Best wishes with this campaign, Thobile. You deserve this wonderful opportunity.” – Ismail Mahomed
“So proud of you, Thobs, a special person who has inspired me through our collective writing journeys.” – Tammy Ballantyne Webber
‘Umntu Ngumntu Ngabantu’
“From the moment I started this campaign I have been deeply moved and overwhelmed by the support that I have gotten from friends, family and strangers from across the globe. I am truly humbled by your generosity and love, and wish you all blessings in abundance.
In isiZulu we say ‘Makwande’ meaning ‘May it multiply’. May the blessings and gifts you have shown me multiply in you and overflow to all those who, like me, may need them”, says Thobile
Create a crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R260 Million.
The organisation, which is a positive public-private partnership, intersecting the government and the private sector, teams up with students to address issues of post-qualification employment and finding decent work.
ISFAP has generously agreed to give three students an opportunity to follow their university dreams, by covering 70% of their tuition fees,granted they are able to crowdfund the remaining 30% through their respective campaigns on BackaBuddy.
To qualify for the sponsorship, applicants have to be South African citizens and come from families whose annual income is between R0 – R600 000.00 per annum.
Since the launch of their campaigns, the students have raised a combined total of over 54 0000 with support from 29 donors both locally and internationally.
“This support will enable these students to acquire a broad set of knowledge, skills and character traits that will significantly improve their meaningful participation in the growth of the country, including the economy, human development, leadership, ethical behaviour and broad citizenship. The intention is to advance equal opportunity and equitable income distribution for all South Africans,” says ISFAP
Omolemo Tlomatsane (22), from Limpopo, Eastern Cape, is a first-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand.
“I always wanted to know how buildings can move and not collapse? How can such tall buildings stand for many years and not fall? I was inquisitive in such a way that one day I looked at a flat for almost the whole day, trying to see it move. I started to fall in love with buildings, and even now when I walk around the streets of Johannesburg, I always look at the flats’ height, pattern, and architecture to see how they might be constructed to be well balanced.” – says Omolemo.
Having lost his parents at a very young age, his grandparents shortly afterwards, and being separated from his siblings, Omolemo has been left to care for himself at home.
Omolemo has raised R1 100 towards his fundraising goal of R45 000.
Sailin Nimalin Vadivelu, from Durban, is a first-year medical student pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBChB) at the University of Pretoria.
“My passion for medicine has stemmed from an early age and was a childhood dream, as I saw the need to give back to the community,” says Sailin.
He has always been a star student who dreams of becoming a Cardiothoracic Surgeon one day, but due to the financial strain caused by the pandemic, his family has been unable to pay for his intuition which will hinder him from completing his studies.
Sailin has raised R38 000 towards his fundraising goal of R45 000.
Nsuku Raphela (20), from Polokwane is a third-year student, currently enrolled for a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Pretoria.
“My mission in this borrowed life is to attain the MBChB degree and become a qualified medical physician to help the community by saving lives and improving the quality of life in the future. I will do this by applying effort and hard work towards my studies and forming educational relations, unselfishness, peace, honesty, integrity, morals and collaboration for the benefit of everyone,” says Nsuku.
Coming from a home of a widowed single parent and three siblings, Nsuku has kept his dream of becoming a qualified medical physician to help the community alive.
Nsuku has raised R14 000 towards his fundraising goal of R45 000.
The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) was established in an effort to assist students with the costs of studying at Higher Education Institutions.
It aims to assist poor and ‘missing’ middle-income university students in selected fields of study to afford the university fees by means of providing financial aid provided the candidate meets certain prescribed requirements.
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R300 Million.
3-year-old, Kyleigh ‘Milana’ Kista, from Benoni South Africa was diagnosed with a Complex Congenital Heart Defect at birth, and needs urgent, life-saving treatment in the US within the next 3 months.
Kyleigh’s condition, known as Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia, VSD & Mapca was first described by Cardio-Thoracic surgeons as a ‘monster in her chest.’
“Kyleigh does not have the valve that connects the heart to the lungs, the arteries that are meant to be attached to this value is free-floating and underdeveloped and not connected to her heart. She has a large hole in heart and survives on 2 collateral arteries of which one has already started to narrow severely. This all puts a lot of strain on her little body.“ says Serina Kista, Kyleigh’s mom.
In her short life, Kyleigh has endured 3 open-heart surgeries and countless non-invasive procedures that have done little to remedy her warrior heart.
A second chance for Kyleigh
In November 2021, the Kista family’s ‘world came crashing down’ when they were faced with limited options to save their daughter’s life in South Africa.
As a last resort, doctors suggested that the family wait until Kyleigh’s organs begin failing, at which point a heart & lung transplant would be considered.
As there are a limited number of donors available, and the fact that this procedure has never been performed on a paediatric patient before, the family feared the substantial risk their daughter would be subjected to.
“Kyleigh would need to be condemned to significant suffering and damage to her heart and lungs before being admitted into ICU in a critical condition to be placed on a donor list and fight for her life with no guarantee of finding a donor in time “, says Kyleigh’s mother Serina.
In absolute desperation to save Kyleigh’s life, the family investigated alternative treatments, finally reaching out to the Boston Children’s Hospital in the USA for a second opinion.
Answering their prayers, doctors revised Kyleigh’s case and restored all hope that their beautiful little girl could be saved and have a better quality of life.
“They proposed an innovative technique to repair her heart, which they currently perform with great success at the hospital. They will use Kyleigh current anatomy and reconstructing her blood vessels in order to flow effectively through her lungs while also incorporating her collateral arteries as part of this procedure.” says Serina.
Time is of the essence to save Kyleigh
Understanding the urgency of the procedure, the hospital kindly offered a reduced rate for the operation, which is still an astronomical amount for the family without power or influence.
To fund the operation in the USA, estimated at R5 000 000 ($295,761), the family has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to appeal to the public to support their final and only hope to save their little one.
“Boston Children’s Hospital has given us new hope and we are holding on to this option with all that is in us. Without it, our little girl will never get the chance to grow up and have a normal, happy, healthy life.” – says Serina.
An outpouring of compassion
With overwhelming support from over donors both locally and internationally, over R4.7 million ($312 590) was raised on BackaBuddy, which has since been paid over to the medical facility in Boston!
The family’s visas have been approved and Kyleigh’s life-saving open heart surgery is set to take place on 24 March2022.
“We received overwhelming support from family, friends, colleagues and the community. Thank you for the heartfelt contributions, prayers and faith that Kyleigh will not only obtain the money for the procedure but will succeed through the procedure, bringing us to tears. We felt hopeless and alone but today we have so many people coming to Kyleigh’s rescue to help us give a future, an opportunity at life” says Kyleigh’s mother, Serina.
A mended heart
Kyleigh’s first operation, a cardiac cartherization, took place on 22 March 2022 at Boston Children’s Hospital.
During the 4 hour procedure, which ‘went even better than expected’ , Kyleigh’s arteries were ballooned and a stent was placed and dual supply was fixed.
With Kyleigh making a quick recovery, the final procedure to repair her heart and lung connection took place on 24 March 2022.
After 8 hours on the operating table, doctors declared the surgery a resounding success and Kyleigh was placed on a ventilator in ICU.
Fortunately, within less than 2 days of her surgery, Kyleigh was moved from the intensive care unit to the stepdown unit.
“Kyleigh’s recovery is astounding, it’s truly the grace of God!” – says Serina
‘We can breathe again’
Although Kyleigh’s surgery has been paid for, the fight is not yet over, Serina told IOL:
“Kyleigh will need medication after surgery. We are not sure what medication will be needed, they will advise us after the surgery is done. She will need annual check-ups and most likely a valve replacement when she is older.”
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R290 Million.
Nikhil Rathilall (13), a sharp and assured student from Muizenberg, Cape Town, has been selected by Crew For a Cause, a registered NPO and PBO focused on empowering disadvantaged students through education, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend Bergvliet High.
Crew for a Cause is a growing community of like-minded South Africans, from all walks of life, who believe that small contributions from many can make a big difference in the lives of gifted scholars and help change their futures for the better.
Paying it forward, the members have made it their mission to fund the fees of several hard-working students, to lift families out of poverty, and provide a way out of desperate situations.
“Crew for a Cause was started with the idea that, through education, we can provide a child with the platform to better themselves and their communities and to do our part to change South Africa’s future for the better. Ultimately, we’d like to see them develop into role models and community leaders and go on to support their own families and friends.” – says Matthew Sterne, Director of Crew for a Cause
Nikhil, who is a top-achieving student with an aggregate of 80% for all his subjects, has a natural ability in mathematics and dreams of studying IT once he matriculates.
Support for a star student
As Nikhil’s mother works for an aircon company, and his father, who he admires greatly, runs a small operation making curries in their community, his parents don’t have the means to cover their son’s schooling fees at a private school, which would widen his opportunities.
Pictured above: Nikhil with his family.
“Nikhil’s resilience and his ability to always try his best, that’s what makes him stand out. His dreams and visions for the future are to make a difference in the lives of others. He hopes to see a country with equal access to opportunities and education one day.”- says Matthew
Stepping in to help change the life of this star student, Crew for a Cause has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to cover Nikhil’s first year of high school at Bergvliet High, a school he has always dreamed of.
“We know that he will always try his best and make a success of every opportunity he receives. He’s looking forward to taking part in new experiences and opportunities at his high school in 2022. If Nikhil were to receive a scholarship, we envision him sharing his cheerfulness, laughter, and optimism with all he encounters in high school.” – says Matthew
Since the launch of the campaign, over R9000 has been raised towards Nikhil’s fundraising target of R45 000, which will cover his well-deserved scholarship.
“This scholarship will enable me to have many advantages that I may otherwise not have. I commit to working hard and giving my best at all times. Once again I would like to thank you for your generosity” – says Nikhil
Crew for a Cause began in January 2018 with the idea that small contributions from many can make a big difference.
“We pool the money of our monthly members to create bursaries for promising high school students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. To identify the students, we partner with education professionals who travel to a range of schools in underprivileged areas and test 12-year-olds in English, Maths, Natural Sciences, and grit. Grit is essential to ensure the students persist through the challenging times they may encounter during high school. We see this as a vital process in building a stronger society. In South Africa, education is a means of lifting people out of poverty and providing a way out of desperate situations.” – Says Matthew
Create a crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far risen over R300 Million.
