Appeal to save uShaka’s Wayne Scott

An urgent appeal has gone out to the public to help save the life of entertainment and events manager of uShaka Marine World, Wayne Scott.

Scott has been suffering with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) since 2010. Various forms of oral chemotherapy and intravenous chemotherapy treatment have been administered by oncology doctors. He has a rare but deadly mutation, which makes him resistant to all the current CML therapies.

The only thing that can now save his life is a bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Scott’s doctor, Dr JP Singh, has done intensive research and testing to find a positive stem-cell donor. A German donor has been found and identified as a 100 per cent match.

The bad news is that Scott’s CML is currently in an accelerated phase and it will be life threatening to do the transplant at present. However, Dr Singh has found a new oral drug, Ponatinib, which has been developed for the treatment of CML. He believes that treatment with Ponatinib three months prior to the transplant will allow him to perform the transplant successfully. With treatment for a further three months afterwards, he expects a positive outcome.

Unfortunately, Scott’s medical aid is only willing to fund 50 per cent of his treatment with Ponatinib, as it is extremely expensive. The initial three-month treatment is expected to cost R390 000, of which the medical aid will contribute R195 000. Wayne needs to raise R195 000 for the co-payment.

A second co-payment of R195 000 must be raised after the transplant.

As a result, family and friends are appealing to donors to assist. Already, Greg King and Steven Stead of KickStart Productions have donated R35 000 and are challenging others in the theatre community to follow their example.

A banking account has been opened for donations. The details are as follows:

Account holder: André B van Wyk, FNB (branch code 255355), account number 6255 5480 377; reference: name and surname or company name.

For additional information, contact 084 708 1865.