Phenyo’s family needs support

CHAIRPERSON of the Caylum Willemse Foundation, Kelly Caden, and the Willemses made a key announcement at Caylum’s first birthday party when they named the next families and babies they will be helping.

READ: Caylum gives back on his first birthday!

One of the babies the Caylum Willemse Foundation made a significant donation to was Phenyo Mackenzie Moropa (10 months old) who was born on March 7, 2016, with a rare birth defect called tibial hemimelia. This disease is so rare that it affects only one in every million births worldwide. The foundation donated R100 000 to Phenyo and they are still in the process of raising more funds for her.

WATCH: Caylum Willemse Foundation announces its support for babies: 

Phenyo was diagnosed with unilateral Tibial Hemimelia, which means she was born with only a partial tibia in her right leg. During the first few months of her young life, her parents, Tshepo and Moipone Moropa, consulted tirelessly in search of treatment. All the specialists had their own views but all concluded that amputation was inevitably her only option. Her parents, not ready to give up on saving her leg, did their own research and found a doctor, Dr Paley, in the United States of America, after coming across a young boy in the same situation who is now walking and in good health.

Read about Luca Railton’s story: British boy told by doctors his leg needed amputating is walking unaided after miracle surgery in America

The Moropa’s need your help to raise funds for Phenyo’s treatment. She will need three surgeries and associated rehabilitation at a cost of $146 000 (just under R2-million).

The family needs tremendous prayer, support and donations to assist them to afford this costly procedure and the travel expenses from South Africa to Florida, as well as their stay in Florida.

Phenyo is the younger sister to nine-year-old Koketso Moropa and she loves her big brother. “Our baby enjoys music and loves the sounds and beats. When she hears something playing, she starts moving her body, smiles, laughs and dances to the beat,” said Phenyo’s dad, Tshepo.

“She also just started crawling so it’s sometimes impossible to keep up with her,” laughed her mother, Moipone.

Like Phenyo’s Facebook page (Get Phenyo Walking) and you’ll be kept notified of fundraising events coming up in the future. Any donations you can personally make would be greatly appreciated by Phenyo and her family. To donate visit Phenyo’s website for all the information you need to help get Phenyo walking: https://getpwalking.org.za/

READ: Help save baby from amputation

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