Neon walk for little Nienke
The motorsport fraternity is rallying to support one-year-old Nienke Louw with a fund-raising walk at Brakpan’s Rock Raceway on June 17 at 1pm.
Little Louw has been diagnosed with Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) heart complications and has spent 57 days in the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in intensive care and three days in high care.
The specialists were hoping to repair her heart and after they commenced with the heart operation, they discovered the operation was much more complicated and literally closed her up.
From that point onward, Louw’s little lungs collapsed twice.
Upon the second collapse and resuscitation, she suffered some brain damage and cortical blindness.
To add to the above complications while in hospital, her kidneys failed and she spent long periods on a dialysis machine.
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She also picked up two different types of virus which she had to fight.
Slowly but surely Louw’s health improved enough for her parents to take her home on May 11.
Her parents have one last option and that is to take her to Cape Town to see heart surgeon Dr Susan Vosloo, the first female doctor in South Africa to perform a heart transplant.
The estimated figure quoted for everything that she needs was R3-million.
Louw’s current condition will only give her a lifespan to the age of five years old.
“Jandré van Staden, the baby’s father, runs a performance workshop at the Rock Raceway and we all at the Rock are keen to help Nienke’s parents in any way possible, financially. We thought of hosting a Neon Walk for Nienke to raise funds to assist her parents and most importantly to get Nienke to Cape Town to establish whether Vosloo is able to assist her and to grant her the full life this little girl deserves,” said Shania Bouwer, Rock Raceway secretary.
Tickets for the walk will cost R100.
For more information contact the Rock Raceway office on 011 740 8315/1206.
