Help Hillcrest young mom reclaim her life
Sian-Tae's determination to get her life back on track has been tested on more than one occasion. After being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in 2015, the 24-year-old contracted Covid-19 and just after she recovered, she was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.
AT 24 years old, Hillcrest resident, Sian-Tae Metzler has fought harder and longer than most people her age.
Metzler was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) just after she gave birth to her son, Eli, in February 2015.
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GBS is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system.
Paralysed and fed through a tube, she was terrified, but the thought of holding her child for the very first time kept her going.
Just as the young mother was getting her life back on track, Metzler was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma,
Her grandmother, Petro Metzler said the nightmare started again in July 2020.
“Sian-Tae fell ill with flu-like symptoms. A Covid-19 test came back negative and two courses of antibiotics had no effect. However, x-rays of her chest showed fluid on her lungs.
“Metzler was admitted to hospital, where a second Covid-19 test returned a positive result,” said Petro.
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Because Metzler had Covid-19, the doctors hesitated to drain the fluid from her lungs believing that it could cause complications.
“Metzler was treated with steroids for a few days and slowly began to improve. The doctors were amazed that she had survived Covid. She was sent home to continue recovering. Once she had tested negative for Covid, she was readmitted and more than two litres of fluid were drained from her lungs,” explained Petro.
She said the doctors also used an internal camera to assess her.
The nightmare started again
It was then that they discovered lesions on her heart and lungs.
“If it wasn’t for Metzler contracting Covid, the doctors would not have made this discovery until it was far too late,” said Metzler’s grandmother.
Biopsies confirmed that she had T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, a very rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Further tests and a bone marrow biopsy returned conflicting results.
“It was determined that Metzler had acute myeloid leukaemia, caused by an extremely rare genetic mutation (PICALM-MLLT10).”
Her family was told that only six to eight people in the whole world suffer from this combination each year.
Puzzled and stressed, Metzler began her five days of low-dose chemotherapy, and after a week of recovery was allowed to go home for four days.
“She then had to return for a gruelling week-long chemotherapy plan. On some days she endured chemo for 10 hours straight. After this followed a three-week isolation and recovery period, in which she was alone and extremely sick,” said Petro
My son keeps me going
“I get my strength from my son, he literally keeps me going. He is a very supportive young man and we try to explain to him about about my illness,” said Metzler who added that her whole family has been a pillar of strength.
“I really do not know where I would be if it wasn’t for their support and unconditional love,” said Metzler.
She said her journey has been very challenging. “It’s unexplainable, it like being stripped of your identity. I was just getting my life back on track and I found a lovely job,” she said.
The goal is to put Sian-Tae into remission, after which she will need a bone marrow transplant.
“The transplant will take place under the care of a specialist in Pretoria who is an expert in rare leukaemia patient transplants. Bone marrow matches are very difficult to find. When the time comes, Metzler’s family hopes to rally fellow South Africans to get tested to find out whether they might be a match.
In the meantime, the family needs funds to cover Metzler her son’s living expenses as she would be unable to work for a full year.
“Even a small donation can assist with Eli’s school fees.”
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In the near future, there will also be enormous medical bills for the family to pay. As of October 12, the expenses have already mounted beyond what the family had expected.
To help raise funds for Metzler, her family has opened a BackaBuddy page for people who wish to assist.
“We have raised our goal in the hope that we can make a big difference. Thank you so much to all the incredible souls around the world who have already given so generously,” added Petro.
People who wish to assist can visit the page https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/sian-tae or deposit the money:
Sian-Tae Fund, FNB Saving Acc No. 62865232541.
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