An Oakdale couple is appealing for help to raise up to R250 000 for their 10-year-old daughter’s medical expenses.
Bianca Fourie suffers from auto-immune hepatitis and due to side effects of her medicine, her bone marrow has been suppressed and she also suffers from aplastic anaemia.
He mother, Michelle Fourie, says Bianca’s body attacks her liver while, as a result of the anaemia, if she falls, she can bleed to death.
“From November 14 2017 she was at Tygerberg Hospital, but she was discharged on December 27. Unfortunately, she got sick again a few days later and had to go back to hospital, but this time she was sent to Groote Schuur Hospital, where they have placed her in the hyper isolation ward. She is still there and we visit her every day,” Ms Fourie said.
“My husband, Lennard, sleeps over at the hospital during the week and I go there on weekends.”
Last Tuesday, Bianca underwent a bone-marrow transplant, with her older sister, Leandi,14, as a donor.
“Luckily Leandi was a match and although she was scared at first to go through the procedure, we are happy to say that she is looking forward to becoming her little sister’s superhero,” Ms Fourie said.
But with Bianca having been in and out of hospital, undergoing one medical procedure after another, the family has a mountain of medical bills which has exhausted their medical aid.
So they started a fundraising page on GoGetFunding, a crowdfunding site. They said the response so far has been overwhelming.
“When all of this is over, I am seriously thinking about writing a book about people’s humanity and the generous nature of the community,” she said.
Personal trainer Gordon Stevens met the Fourie family doing charity work at Tygerberg Hospital, and he has become a close family friend.
“I met Bianca and her family, and her positive attitude and just the caring natire of the family really got to me. Since then, I have helped the family in any way that I can.”
One of the ways he helped was by collecting R4 000 while standing on a road in Sea Point with a billboard asking for donations, getting sponsors through his clients and also organising a 5km walk in Sea Point on Saturday March 9.
“The walk has a R100 entry fee, and there will also be a raffle where the tickets are also R100. The walk will start at the Virgin Active in Sea Point and will continue onto the promenade and then back to the gym.”
For more information about Bianca or if you want to make a donation you can visit gogetfunding.com/biancas-treatment-campaign/