Coach Takudzwa ‘TK’ Muzadzi (31) from Zimbabwe, a beloved coach at Busy Ballers, was sadly mugged at gunpoint while in Sunningdale, Blouberg, on 29 August 2022.
Hearing the news, Catherine Du Plooy, BackaBuddy COO, and Founder of charity e-commerce site, Gift Horse (launching soon), set up a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a humble target of R5000.
“TK was understandably quite upset and shaken up by the whole incident. And I knew I had to do something to help him. It’s so unfortunate that crimes like these continue to take place in our beautiful country.” – says Catherine
To Catherine’s surprise, the campaign to help replace TK’s wallet, his bag and a few personal items he lost as a result of the jarring incident, exceeded its target, raising R5937 in less than 24-hours!
“Watching the barometer spillover really warmed my heart. I am happy that TK knows that his community is here for him and that we love him dearly!” says Catherine
“My son, Daniel and nephews Jamie and Cristian joined Busy Ballers more than 3 years ago. To say that the boys love Busy Ballers and the wonderful TK would be an understatement! He manages to include everyone in the class and his method of coaching is soft yet respectful. How he gets all the kids to listen is beyond me!” -says Catherine
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 R351 Million.
From a young age, Ethan Palagangwe (11), a talented singer from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town has been drawn to music.
Inspired by his songstress mom, he could often be heard around the house, singing songs by his favourite musicians such as Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber.
“Ethan started singing around the house at the age of 8. When he started singing for our friends and family at gatherings, we realized that he has a God given talent that we needed to nurture.” says Ethan’s mom, Candice.
The Palagangwe family from left are Cade, Kagisho, Ethan, Candice and Kaycee. Picture: Plainsman
When Ethan’s parents saw that the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir School in Kwa-Zulu Natal was having an open call to auditions, they signed him up, in hopes that he would be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to sharpen his singing skills and receive a world-class education.
Performing one of his favourite songs, “Ben”, by Michael Jackson, Ethan soaked up the spotlight and was one of only 30 students, out of 1600, to receive an acceptance letter to enrol at the private school.
Unable to cover the cost of his schooling, which amounts to approximately R 175 000 for his first year, Ethan’s parents launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy that has thus far raised over R113 000.
With support from 48 donors both locally and internationally, Ethan has been able to attend the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir School in KZN and has been excelling in his studies.
“Being accepted at the school has also driven him in aiming high and to excel in all the academic and social activities that are being offered at the school. I am pleased to say that despite all the challenges he and his parents have faced, he still gives his best to achieve academic excellence for himself.”
Unfortunately due to the unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic, many of the individuals and businesses that pledged to contribute to Ethan’s education have experienced financial hardship, leaving Ethan’s family with over R53 000 in outstanding school fees.
Unable to come up with the funds, Ethan will, unfortunately, need to return home to Cape Town and put his dreams of becoming a singer on hold.
“We as a family have witnessed Ethan’s personal development, education, and musical growth to be phenomenal, and we would not want to deprive him of this chance. Since it is mid-year and amid the pandemic, many schools are restricting their enrollment, so we are in a tough position to secure Ethan a new school.”
Update about Ethan’s progress:
Ethan is currently in his second year at the world renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir School. He is in Grade 6 and continues to flourish in this fast paced environment, where hard work, talent, discipline and team work culminate to create magic in the form of the most beautiful music. He worked hard to complete the gruelling New Boy Programme and earned his “Concert Status” in August last year.
Ethan has proven to be a true Drakie, his energy and passion makes him a pleasure to watch perform, his face lights up the stage and his natural rhythm makes you want to jump up and dance. He has fully entrenched himself in all the school has to offer, seizing every opportunity, be it academically, in the sporting arena or in the music field. Ethan is thriving at the school and loves to be surrounded by the majestic mountains, he loves hiking, swimming in the rivers and mountain biking – on the bike he was gifted by a fellow pupil.
Ethan comes from a very humble background, his Father Kagiso, works in law enforcement and his Mother, Candace works as a teachers aid. His hard working parents want the best for their son, the sacrifice they make to ensure that Ethan is given every opportunity to achieve his full potential is enormous. They need the continued financial support to ensure that Ethan is able to stay at the school that is recognised as a National Treasure.
Ethan successfully auditioned to be in the Schools latest music video “Butter”. “Butter” was released on the 15 July and was filmed in Umhlanga, Ethan was given a solo part and viewers got to see some of his slick dance moves!
As a fellow parent at the school, we would love to help the Palagangwe family. Any financial assistance you are able to offer this young man would be greatly appreciated.” – says Megan Dittberner
*As per the campaign creator’s request, funds raised will be paid directly to the school*
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 R260 Million.
Nickey Seger (48), a fitness specialist and wellbeing coach from Strubensvalley, Johannesburg, is honouring a decade-long promise she made to a student close to her heart.
In 2005, while working at Scuba City in Ferndale, Nickey met Goodwill Khuzwayo (41), a charming man who through a near-fatal taxi accident became disabled 4 years earlier.
“Goodwill was travelling to Zimbabwe to visit family when the taxi’s tyres burst. The taxi rolled and Goodwill fell out the vehicle, and was caught under the taxi. He had suffered head and spinal injuries,” Nickey told News24
9 years ago: Goodwill, with his wife, Edna and little Nellie.
Inspired by his resilience, Nickey wrote to Radio 94.7, hoping that her colleague would be chosen during their annual 947 Xmas Wish. After 3 years of reaching out to the radio station, Nickey’s persistence finally paid off!
The radio station kindly agreed to grant Goodwill’s wish, sending his bright and bubbly daughter, Nellie, who was in grade 2 at the time, to MacLaren College, an upstanding private school in Cosmo City.
While Nellie thrived in her new environment and loved her new school, unfortunately, Goodwill was unable to cover her school fees for the remainder of her education and had no choice but to send her back to the government school she had previously attended.
Making a promise
Concerned that Nellie wouldn’t get the quality education she deserved, Nickey stepped in to lend a helping hand, promising the young student that she would do her best to cover the cost of her schooling until she matriculated.
“It was important to me to help Nellie with her schooling because education is the key to unlocking the world. It helps us in all aspects of our lives. To me, education is the gateway to success. Success can be achieved when people have knowledge, skills, and attitude. All these things can be gained only with the help of education.” -says Nickey.
Keeping a promise
For the last 9 years, through personal challenges and the many ups and downs of her business, Nickey kept true to her promise.
Nellie is now 18-years old, and has grown into a soft, kind, focused, and determined young lady who aspires to become a nurse to serve her community.
“I want to become a nurse so I can fix my daddy, so that he can walk again. I want to be the one to nurse him back to good health. And I’m so eternally grateful to every donor that has contributed to my schooling,” Nellie told News24
Dressed for success: Nickey and Nellie share a special bond
Due to the unforeseen and devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected Nickey’s business, like so many others in South Africa, Nickey, for the first time is unable to cover Nellie’s school fees on her own – but she isn’t planning on giving up!
To raise the R75,600 ($5000) needed to cover Nellie’s final year of school, Nickey has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, and is pledging to complete 14 consecutive half marathons, a total distance of 295,4km, to get Nellie to the ‘finish line’ of her schooling career.
The challenge, which is Nickey’s labour of love, will begin on the 1st of February and end on Valentine’s Day, the 14th February 2022, symbolically, in front of Nellie’s school, Ruimsig Montessori.
Blown away by generous supporters
With overwhelming support from 116 local and international donors, over R135 000 ($8800) has been raised towards Nellie’s education in anticipation for Nickey’s challenge.
On Thursday, 27th of January 2022, Nickey shared an emotional message of thanks to everyone who has made this dream come true.
“I am reaching out to all South Africans to help Nellie finish her schooling while demonstrating to the country that “the power of a promise matters” no matter your circumstances, one can always rise above it and make a plan and maintain one’s integrity. With my challenge I hope to cover Nellie’s school fees and give a new spin of what love can look like during the month of love.” – says Nickey
When Nickey called Goodwill to tell him the news, he burst into tears
“I had no words. I just covered my eyes with my hands, and I burst out crying. I am so humbled. I still get emotional when I think about it. My child will be able to finish her matric year and go study to be a nurse next year. This is any parents’ dream, and I am overwhelmed with the many good, kind-hearted people living among us,”
“My daughter is still in shock, but it’s definitely a happy shock. As long as she’s been alive, she’s been telling us she wants to become a nurse, and now she’s one step closer to fulfilling her dream. We are so happy. We will forever be thankful to the many hands that donated,” Goodwill told News24
As this campaign is now fully funded, additional funds will be used to cover Nellie’s University fees.
WATCH: Nickey shares special moments from her “Power of a Promise” challenge
Update
Nellie finished writing her Cambridge Matric exams the beginning of June 2022 and is now awaiting her results which will hopefully be out during the 1st week in August 2022.
She also attended her Matric dance on Friday 24 June and she looked absolutely gorgeous. Her dress was sponsored by Alicia Van der Merwe from Ali Cia Couture and the Photoshoot sponsored by Louise Olivier from Wanitta’s Photography. It was certainly a beautiful highlight in Nellie’s Matric year.
Nellie has applied to Netcare as well to start her studies next year as a student nurse, we are just awaiting her results.
Empowering young women
As South Africa’s first female Navy Diver, 4 time Iron Man finisher, and someone who has represented South Africa in the long-distance World Triathlon Championship in Germany in 2010, Nickey hopes to teach young women a life lesson:
“Throughout my life, I have been exposed to and pushed back against gender norms and stereotypes. From a young age, I made it my mission, to prove that women can do anything they put their mind to, I hope that this will inspire others to do the same”
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 R290 Million.
Liané Roux, a 10-month old baby from Secunda, Mpumalanga has faced a number of serious health issues since the start of her life, as a result of being born with 3 congenital heart defects.
Concerned that their daughter (who was 4 months old at the time) was showing signs of a fever, had difficulty breathing, and was tired all the time, doting parents Ashley (26) and Quintin Roux (36), took her to their local hospital, where she was initially diagnosed with a Grade 5 Cardiac Systolic Murmur.
A week later, after seeing a heart specialist at Steve Biko hospital, the family learned that Liané’s condition was much greater than anticipated, discovering that she was born with 3 congenital heart defects: VSD, DORV and TGA.
Liané’s condition in more detail:
Ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole in the heart, is a common heart defect that’s present at birth. The hole (defect) occurs in the wall (septum) that separates the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles) and allows blood to pass from the left to the right side of the heart. The oxygen-rich blood then gets pumped back to the lungs instead of out to the body, causing the heart to work harder.
Double-outlet right ventricle (DORV), occurs when two large blood vessels don’t connect to the heart normally. In infants born with this condition, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the body (aorta) and the artery that directs blood from the heart to the lungs (pulmonary artery) connect partially or completely to the right lower heart chamber (ventricle). Sometimes these blood vessels are also reversed from their normal positions.
Transposition of the great arteries (TGA), is a serious, rare heart problem in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed (transposed). Source
Mending Liané’s Heart
As a result of her condition, Liané was at high risk of getting respiratory infections and ultimately suffering heart failure, when her parents approached the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute in Johannesburg, the only hospital willing to perform the life-saving surgery she needed.
Under tremendous stress, realising that almost R1 Million rand was needed to save their daughter’s life, the Roux family launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, hoping to secure the astronomical cost of the surgery, as they don’t have medical aid.
Proud parents Ashley and Quintin holding Liané
“Words cannot describe the level of fear and heartbreak we felt hearing the words ‘heart failure’, knowing that we had a financial mountain to climb and a race against time, to save the life of our little angel.” – says Quintin
With generous support, the campaign raised almost R600 000, with contributions from 436 donors, that allowed the family to cover the first three invoices for Liané procedure.
By the grace of God, Liané successfully had her surgery on Friday, April 22 at the Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg.
After recovering from her surgery in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit, Liané underwent a second operation to have a pacemaker fitted, that will be able to control her heartbeat.
To support the family with Liané’s aftercare, monthly costs, and outstanding medical fees, donations are still welcome to the little one’s fundraiser, while she waits to be added to her medical aid.
“While we are not out of the woods in terms finances, we couldn’t be more thankful for the community that lovingly formed around us to help fix Liané’s heart. Without people sharing our story and shouting it loudly, we don’t what we would have done. Our little baby has a beautiful future ahead of her” – says Ashley
On Friday, Victor du Plessis, 35, sadly passed away due to multiple organ failures after he suffered from various incurable diseases.
Marlene Mans (52) a single mom from Rustenburg, Johannesburg, has dedicated her entire life to caring for her son, Victor du Plessis (35), who was born with special needs.
For as long as Marlene can remember life has been a struggle for her son, who has lived between home and the hospital since he was born.
Always fighting an infection, Victor’s symptoms needed to be monitored closely to avoid devastating consequences.
“When the nurses handed Victor to me when he was just minutes old, I stared into his eyes, and unknowingly gave him the most appropriate name. A ‘victor’ is someone who has overcome an adversary. Considering the battles he’s fought and conquered, it’s a perfect fit” – says Marlene
In his lifetime, Victor has suffered 3 strokes, battled diabetes, epilepsy, bleeding on the brain, and a multitude of rare, incurable diseases. Contracting Covid-19 last year, Marlene says they almost had to say their goodbyes.
“Many times doctors gave up on Victor and told us there is little hope, but every single time our Vicky has pulled through. He’s a champion” – says Marlene
A breakdown of Victor’s rare conditions
Trisomy 21: A genetic chromosome 21 disorder that causes developmental and intellectual delays.
Basal ganglia calcification of the brain: A very rare condition that happens when calcium builds up in your brain, usually in the basal ganglia, the part of your brain that helps control movement.
Schizophrenia: A serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally, which leads to hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behaviour.
Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS): A condition that affects a person’s heart and mental ability.
Coeliac disease: A condition that causes hypersensitivity to gluten, which leads to difficulty in digesting food.
Malabsorbtion syndrome: A condition that prevents absorption of nutrients through the small intestine.
Polyglandular autoimmune syndrome: A rare and complex recessively inherited disorder of immune-cell dysfunction, which causes endocrine gland and gastrointestinal dysfunctions.
“Of all Victor’s conditions and ailments, this was perhaps one of the hardest to come to terms with. I can’t picture a day when Victor might not recognize me, his sister Vianca, and his nurses who have become an extended part of our family. We all love our little teddy bear” – says Marlene
Victory for Victor
As Victor was wheelchair-bound, struggled to eat and drink as a result of his brain function and was reliant on a permanent catheter, he needed around the clock care and a top tier medical aid.
Marlene said that without her daughter, Vianca (32), who has lovingly sacrificed her independence, and much of her salary every month to care for her big brother, she doesn’t know how they would have made it this far.
“Vianca is the most selfless person I have ever met. She has been with me every step of the way, and in many ways is Victor’s second mom. She takes him everywhere she goes, shaves him, bathes him and checks up on him. This she does out of pure love, not an obligation” – says Marlene
Victor with his little sister, Vianca
Supporting Victor
As Victor’s medical needs were extensive, his medical aid was often exhausted at critical times, and Marlene and Vianca were often unprepared for burdening co-payments.
Reaching out to the public for support, Marlene, who had taken a second job as a sales rep to care for her son, launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to help cover Victor’s medical needs which costed about R10 500 a month.
“With Victor’s chronic medication, specialist visits, daycare and dietary needs, his medical expenses are a mountain we try to conquer every month. It’s been difficult physically, emotionally, and financially” says Marlene
While no stranger to hard work and late nights, Marlene says she didn’t picture working this hard at her age to care for her son, but says “it’s what any mom would do”.
“No matter how stressed our situation becomes, it’s all worth it when Victor comes back from the clinic with a paper flower he’s made and a beaming smile on his face. I always say God has put us on this path for a reason, to teach us patience and humility”
Victor has sadly passed away
It is with sadness in our heart that we say goodbye to our little sunshine boy. Vicky past away on the 8th of July at 16h00 as a result of multiple organ failure.We would like to thank everyone that ever donated towards this fundraising campaign and followed our journey.
We would like to thank Zane and maroela media who went out of their way in supporting is and made our journey a little bit easier. Vicky was a great warrior but in the end he died with peace and love on his little face.
May his life always be an example to others, of never giving up. Rest in peace our little warrior.You will be loved always.
If you would like to attend Victor’s funeral Tuesday, 19th July 2022, at 10h45, please meet at Moepelstraat Rustenburg Oak Proteapark.
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 R314 Million.
Aaron Lipschitz (7) from Sea Point, Cape Town, is the first child in South Africa to be diagnosed with Interleukin-12 Receptor Defect, a rare, genetic condition that affects the immune system.
In simple terms, the cells in Aaron’s immune system do not communicate effectively and as a result he is unable to fight infections.
Of the few known cases worldwide, Aaron is the only child who is unable to tolerate any food without becoming very ill. Before his bone marrow transplant in August 2018, the only nutrition he has been able to cope with was a hypoallergenic formula called Neocate LCP. He is still primarily fed via a MIC-KEY feeding port in his stomach.
Undergoing a Bone marrow transplant
As there is currently no cure for Aaron’s condition, the only way for him to overcome his recurrent infections and survive this condition, was to have a bone marrow transplant.
To help cover the costs of finding an international bone marrow donor, as well as assist his family with his ongoing medical expenses, a campaign was created on crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy.
Finally in August 2018, Aaron’s family got the call they had been waiting for.
With the support of The South African Bone Marrow Registry, a 100% bone marrow match was found for Aaron overseas. At only 3 years old, Aaron underwent chemotherapy to destroy his current defective immune system before it was replaced with the donor’s bone marrow.
The risky procedure was met with complications when Aaron developed a very rare reaction to the new bone marrow, called a Cytokine Storm, which landed him in Red Cross ICU for a month. The fact that he was able to survive the transplant is a miracle, says Aaron’s mom, Taryn.
“Aaron is a fighter in the true sense of the word. His doctors were trying to prepare us for the worst and I told them to wait and see…Aaron survived against all odds.He has the most incredible zest for life and thirst for knowledge.” – says Taryn.
Since the bone marrow transplant, Aaron seems to be getting fewer infections but unfortunately his immune system has not reconstituted as well or as quickly as doctors would have liked.
To boost his immune system, he needs to have weekly immunoglobulin treatment. Aaron has slowly started to be able to tolerate small amounts of oral food since his bone marrow transplant.
“Despite surviving such a tough procedure, Aaron still has a very long and challenging journey ahead. Whenever we feel that we are getting close to the summit of this mountain,the mountain seems to become higher. All we can do is keep our heads down and keep putting one foot in front of the other.” – says Taryn.
Currently, Aaron’s condition is more stable, but he still has extensive medical needs:
Aaron currently survives on formula administered 3-4 times a day via a MIC-KEY feeding tube in his stomach.
He still requires weekly immunoglobulin infusions where a tiny needle is inserted under the skin in his stomach to administer the infusion.
Aaron is in occupational therapy, physiotherapy and play therapy to help support him and allow him to lead the most normal life possible.
Aaron’s little sister, Eden
Like most parents, Taryn and Steven had always dreamt of having a second child, giving Aaron an opportunity to be a big brother.
After extensive genetic testing concluded that Aaron’s condition was most likely a random phenomenon that didn’t have a genetic cause, the Lipschitz family were very confident, albeit not 100% certain, that they would have a healthy baby.
“Of course we naturally had concerns that a second child would have a similar condition to Aaron although his exact diagnosis is still unknown. We know that he has a Primary Immunodeficiency but the subtype or variant seems not to have been documented yet worldwide.” – says Taryn
Welcoming their beautiful daughter, Eden into the world on the 27th September 2021 the family never in their ‘darkest nightmares’ imagined that she would be even sicker than Aaron ever was as a baby.
“Within a couple of weeks it became clear that Eden had significant difficulty tolerating feeds and displayed extreme pain and severe vomiting after feeding. Aaron had always tolerated a very hypoallergenic formula called Neocate LCP since birth but Eden is not even able to tolerate that. As a last resort we have had to resort to TPN (total parenteral nutrition) which is intravenous feeding to keep her alive.” – says Taryn
Currently, it is unclear if Eden has the same condition as Aaron, as extensive exome sequencing has not determined the cause of Eden’s difficulties. Doctors believe that Aaron and Eden may have a new genetic variant that has not yet been recorded worldwide.
A family facing financial pressure
The financial pressure the Lipschitz family is experiencing, now managing two children with extreme medical needs, has been tremendously difficult for the family, which is on the top medical aid plan, which is expensive in itself.
Taryn, who works as a play therapist, has also not been able to return to work full-time, as Eden’s current hospital admission has been 10 weeks long.
Once-off and recurring donations to the Lipschitz family fund on BackaBuddy, have carried the family through emotionally, physically and financially, says Taryn.
“We are so blessed and grateful to be part of this community and know that help and support is available. We look at how far Aaron has come and we are filled will hope that with the community behind us Eden can also overcome the enormous challenges that lie ahead of her.”
The Lipschitz family would like to encourage all South Africans, to register as bone marrow donors to give children like Aaron and a second chance at life.
To date, the SABMR has helped save the lives of nearly 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.
“We are urging people to go onto the SABMR website to register as a bone marrow/stem cell donor. The process is as simple as making a phone call, filling out a form and having a mouth swab taken. You could save Aaron or another person waiting for their miracle.” – says Taryn
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 44000+ 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 R500 Million.
