Another little hero fights for life

WHEN parents Terrence and Bridgette Neethling received the devastating news that doctors could no longer help their 18-month old son, Ian, who was diagnosed with a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) brain tumour last September, they decided to move from Gauteng to Durban to further his treatment after reading about the remarkable progress Musgrave’s little Ariella Cocorozis’s parents had made in getting treatment for the five-year-old little girl who has crept into the hearts of the Berea community.

Ariella’s father, John, returned from Germany on Christmas eve and was successful in obtaining a promising drug for Ariella. According to family friend Anastasia Kougianos, the drug was administered on Boxing Day and there were no negative side effects. The family thanked 41 international.net for sponsoring John’s trip to Germany to obtain Ariella’s much-needed drugs.

“Ariella is so much more responsive and interactive. She now waves, points, blows her fingernails to dry her freshly painted nails, nods and shakes her head for ‘yes’ and ‘no’. She has even spoken the words ‘no’ and ‘mama”. She is completely aware of her surroundings and reveals her sharp and happy nature. She also got to attend the Trail of Lights at the Durban Botanic Gardens. She really enjoyed herself and after three hours was not her usual tired self and wanted to stay on!” she said, adding that the family thanked Mandy Wilson, charity co-orinator of the event and Alene Naidoo, event organisor, for making this a special evening for Ariella.

ALSO READ: Musgrave’s little warrior needs your help

Sandy Cipriano from Cupcakes of Hope said Ian’s family, had made contact with Ariella’s parents after they were faced with the same ‘go home’ scenario for their little boy.

Little Ian, known as Buddy, was diagnosed with a DIPG brain tumor on 3 September. His parents were given the devastating news that without treatment Ian would only survive between three to six months.

“Prior to this Ian underwent a craniotomy procedure where they removed some of the tumor but this left him with facial dysfunctions. He can no longer smile which is the most devastating as his smile lit up a room and you just fell in love with him,” said Sandy.

She said a few weeks ago Terrence and Bridgette were told that there was no more that the doctors could do for him and sent him home on palliative care. She said Ian had declined drastically since then. His feet and ankles froze up in a ballerina position and he was constantly in pain and hardly ate any food.

“While in Durban, the family met with doctors, but Ian’s condition worsened and he started having what looked like fits and was rushed to Umhlanga Netcare Hospital where he underwent a two-hour surgery to remove the shunt in his head and replace it with drains,” she said.

Sandy said in just three days the drastic change in Ian was a miracle. “For the first time in weeks Ian was able to talk again and use his hands and feet, which were so stiff he could not bend them. The amount of support from friends and people that have not even met this little hero is just phenomenal,” she said.

If you would are able to make a donation towards Ian’s medical or day-to-day expenses, contact Sandy on 073 208 6757 or Sandy@cupcakesofhope.org. Visit www.cupcakesofhope.org to see how you can become a Cupcake Angel and ‘bake’ a difference in the lives of little cancer warriors.

To help with continuing fundraising for Ariella, visit the Facebook page: For the love of Ariella. To donate on the BackaBuddy page, visit: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/ariella-help-us-beat-dipg.

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