by Zane Groenewald | Jun 14, 2021 | Campaign
Little Zara was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor (ATRT) in April this year when she was just 19 months old. The news of Zara’s diagnosis has been absolutely devastating to the family. Before the diagnosis she was a happy healthy little girl who reached all her normal milestones.
ATRT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour) is a rare, fast-growing, aggressive and re-occurring tumor that is found in fewer than 10 percent of children with brain tumors. It is most often seen in children age 3 or younger, but it can also occur in older children and adults.
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In and out of hospital
Zara’s tumour was located near the cerebellum and was removed on 17 April 2021 during a 6-hour surgery. On 29 April 2021, after the craniotomy, Zara underwent her second operation to place a VP shunt in her brain to drain fluid from her brain to her abdomen. This resulted in an infection that needed to be cleared before the chemotherapy could start.
She has undergone radiation and chemotherapy at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre from May 2021. Even though the tumor was removed if one cancer cell remains another tumor can grow, which is why radiation and chemotherapy are necessary.
Funds needed
In the last month the family’s medical aid has already rejected claims and requiring co-payments to treatment bills. Your donation will help them cover the cost of little Zara’s treatment and give her a chance at life.
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For live updates on Zara’s journey please like her Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/zaravsatrt
** Surplus funds will be donated to Rainbows and Smiles – https://www.facebook.com/rainbowsandsmiles/
by Zane Groenewald | May 31, 2021 | Campaign, Impact
Eight years ago, Stan Engelbrecht (45) from Cape Town met Poppie van As (65), an elderly underprivileged lady who has a small roadside ‘roosterbrood’ stand on the N1 in Laingsburg.
“I happened to be cycling in Laingsburg around New Years about 8 years ago, and to be honest, the first thing that drew me to Poppie’s roadside stand was the wonderful aroma of her ‘roosterbrood’! I bought one – with jam and cheese if I remember correctly – and we had a chat. If you’ve ever met Poppie you’ll know that she is instantly likeable. Just full of great energy. Before I left town I returned to her stand and bought a few more plain ‘roosterbrood’, simply because they’re that delicious.”
A few months later Stan had the idea to ask Poppie to prepare some ‘roosterbrood’ for a bicycle race he was organising.
“She was a huge hit, preparing her ‘roosterbrood’ on a hill just outside of town near the end of that day’s racing stage! Everyone loved it, and so she was asked to return every year.” says Stan.
Pictured above: Poppie van As (63).
Touched by Poppie’s incredible life story and her bubbly personality, the Italian representatives at the Eroica South Africa event had invited her to Gaiole, Italy to attend the main Eroica event as a special guest, covering the cost of her plane ticket for the 3 day event.
“When I told her about the invitation to visit Italy in September, she ran around screaming at the top of her lungs as she has never left the Western Cape in her life. I knew that this was a dream-come-true for her, and this experience would change her life forever.” says Stan
Pictured above: Stan Engelbrecht (43) and Poppie van As (63).
To make the trip as special as possible, Stan and his girlfriend Donnet Dumas (32), decided to accompany Poppie on the trip to show her everything that Italy had to offer, and took her on a once in a lifetime road trip.
With a campaign launched on donations-based crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy, Stan appealed to the South African people to make small contributions to Poppie’s trip to make it unforgettable.
The campaign had received overwhelming support in a few short weeks, raising a total of R103 225.60 towards the fundraising target of R100 000 with contributions from 182 donors.
Pictured above: Poppie van As (63).
Donations to the crowdfunding campaign went towards Poppie’s visa appointment, travel to-and-from Cape Town, getting her a few things that will make her comfortable on her first airplane trip, and her first visit overseas.
Click here to view Poppie’s BackaBuddy campaign.
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/poppie-van-as or visit the www.backabuddy.co.za homepage.
Donors who contributed R250 or more received a personal postcard from Poppie while she was in Italy!
Watch Poppie’s video appeal: https://www.youtubëdfe.com/watch?v=UTFQ_tDqMVo
View Poppie’s journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppievanas/?hl=en
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 R270 Million.
by Zane Groenewald | Apr 22, 2021 | Campaign, Impact
On Freedom Day, the 27th of April 2021, South African’s will celebrate 27 years of democracy. Inspired by the significance this day holds, Kola Cohen, a 19-year-old from Hout Bay, will be paddling 27km to provide 27,000 meals for vulnerable Capetonians.
Paddling on a prone board, Kola will be participating in the Freedom Paddle, an initiative where paddlers paddle from Cape Town to Robben Island (and back) to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela and the struggle heroes who fought for South Africa’s freedom.
Looking to pay it forward, Kola has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to support Love in a Bowl, a community farming initiative that delivers a ‘community pot’ of nutritious, organic food to 32 different creches, soup kitchens, and NGOs in the Hout Bay community.
Kola Cohen (Image credit: Jacque Smit)
“Although South Africa has a lot going for it, we still have some very deep systematic issues. A notable one is food security, as an athlete, I know that there is a direct relationship between nutrition and people’s ability to succeed. Love in a Bowl is playing their part by providing people with locally grown organic vegetables and I think there will be some great outcomes in the future.” – says Kola
With his ‘Paddle for Love’ campaign, Kola hopes to provide Love in a Bowl with enough funds to make 1000 community pots that will be able to serve 27 000 meals to those who need it the most.
In anticipation of his paddle, Kola has raised over R70 000 towards his fundraising target of R150 000 with contributions from 80 donors.
Cohen (Image credit: Jacque Smit)
Support Kola’s campaign on BackaBuddy by donating here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/courage-fundraiser
Alternatively, make a donation on Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/courage-fundraiser
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 R240 Million.
About Zane Groenewald
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backabuddy, cape town, charity, community, crowdfunding, feeding, Freedom Day, hout bay, Love in a bowl, Paddle, Sport
by Zane Groenewald | Apr 19, 2021 | Campaign, Impact
On the 18th of April 2021, a devastating vegetation fire quickly spread towards the University of Cape Town, destroying iconic landmarks, including Rhodes Memorial’s restaurant, Mostert Mill, the UCT library as well as residences and upper campus buildings.
Tasked with providing food and other essential items to over 4000 students that have been displaced and affected by the blaze, The Gift of the Givers have launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to assist the Cape Town community in rising from the ashes.
In less than 12 hours, generous donors both locally and internationally, have contributed over R64 000 towards their fundraising target of R250 000 to support their various relief efforts.
Gift of the Givers
With great joy, The Gift of the Givers team and volunteers in their numbers, have begun cooking, packaging and distributing meals door-to-door to help those in need.
“While the full extent of what is needed is currently being assessed, the requests for soap, toothpaste and personal hygiene items have been overwhelming”, says Dr Imtiaz Sooliman – Founder of The Gift of the Givers
Gift the Givers
How you can help.
Make a donation to the Gift of the Givers on BackaBuddy by donating here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/uct-support
All donors will be eligible for a Section 18A tax benefit certificate.
Donate items in kind, at the Old Mutual West Campus, 91 Jan Smuts Drive, Pinelands.
Items required are as follows:
- Water, Powerade, Energade, juices, cool drinks, biscuits, energy bars, muffins, tea, coffee, long-life milk, sugar, rice, beans, oil, noodles, salt, spices, cereals, eggs, butter, jam, cheese and bread.
- Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet rolls, sanitary pads and hand sanitiser are essential personal hygiene requests.
About Zane Groenewald
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by Zane Groenewald | Apr 14, 2021 | Campaign, Featured
On the 8th of July 2021, Henry Cock (34), a business owner from Sandton, Johannesburg, will attempt to smash the Guinness World Record for most consecutive half marathons in a row, to uplift South Africans struggling with mental health, particularly during the lockdown.
Henry, who is admittedly not a professional athlete, is training to take on 133 consecutive half marathons over 133 days, covering a distance of 2800km from Kosi Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, to Vioolsdrift, Namibia, to break the current record for men, which stands at 75.
Shattering Mental Health Stigma
Having battled depression and anxiety in recent years, due to the dissolution of his long term relationship, the strain that the ongoing pandemic has had on his businesses, as well as the daily personal struggles we can all relate to, Henry wants to dismantle mental health stigma with his mammoth challenge and be a beacon of hope to those who suffer in silence.
Henry Cock
“I only became aware of my mental health issues in 2019. The more I started to delve into my personal experiences, the more I began to understand how important mental health is, and the more I learned that it is still a very stigmatised and taboo subject. It took me months of therapy to work up the courage and put myself on medicine, and admit to the people I cared about the most that I suffered from anxiety. It takes great courage to speak out and recognize that you suffer from a mental disorder. The more we can open the conversation surrounding mental health, the greater the understanding and empathy will be with those that suffer.” – says Henry.
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
With a crowdfunding campaign launched on BackaBuddy, Henry has also set himself an ambitious goal of raising over R6 million to support The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), an organisation on the forefront of patient advocacy, education, and de-stigmatisation of mental illness in South Africa.
According to SADAG, one person commits suicide every hour in South Africa.
Henry Cock and with friend and supporter, Jake Franklin.
Since the launch of his ‘Mentally Aweh’ campaign, Henry has thus raised over R250 000, with contributions from 77 donors both locally and internationally which will be used to help those without the means to prioritise their mental health and access treatment.
‘It’s time for togetherness, not individualism.’
With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a ‘new wave of mental health concern’ says Henry, as people have struggled with isolation, fatigue, illness, and the death of loved ones on a larger scale than we are accustomed to.
“My hope is that as many South Africans as possible can have access to the help they need, and that is why I have set up my BackaBuddy campaign. I want people to know that it is okay to tell people you’re struggling with your mental health. It doesn’t mean your life is over, or that you’re different or weird – and it’s OK to take medication for it. These things all help, they’re not there to be stigmatized or laughed at or looked down upon as a weakness. The misconception that this problem has no solution is simply not true” – says Henry
Support Henry’s campaign on BackaBuddy by donating here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/mentally-aweh
Alternatively, donate Via Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/MentallyAweh
For more information about SADAG, visit:
https://www.sadag.org
About Zane Groenewald
View all posts by Zane Groenewald →
