Little Neli inspires a bigger cause
Residents and co-workers of Hazel Mthembu, a nurse at uMhlanga Hospital, have rallied together to not only save the life of her daughter Neli, but also other leukemia patients.
WHEN Hazel Mthembu made a desperate plea to the community to help her save her ailing little girl, she did not imagine that it would spiral into a massive public campaign.
Last week, Hazel, who is an orthopedic and a cardiothoracic surgery scrub nurse at Netcare Umhlanga Hospital, approached the Northglen News with her family’s dire circumstances.
She recalled how she and her husband, Sipho, were left devastated when their four-year-old daughter, Neli, had been diagnosed with leukemia in October last year. Now, they are not only concerned about being able to pay for their daughter’s vital treatment, but also finding her a bone marrow donor match.
“Neli needs to undergo a bone marrow transplant. If we cannot find a donor match for her by the end of the month, she faces a high risk of relapse,” said Mandy Bergsma, a donor recruitment specialist at The Sunflower Fund.
She explained that a person has a 1 in 100 000 chance to find a donor match in his or her own ethnic group.
“While donating for a bone marrow transplant is just like donating blood, it is all about finding a tissue match not a blood match. That is why is so important for people to register as a donor. It increases the chance of finding a match,” said Bergsma.
When Hazel’s colleagues became aware of her and her family’s situation they wasted no time to assist her. That same week 47 staff members signed up as potential bone marrow donors.
The staff also organised a public donor campaign at the hospital, with The Sunflower Fund and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), where staff and members of the public could register as blood and bone marrow donors. Additionally, they have donated money towards Neli’s treatment from their own pockets, and have organised bake sales to raise additional funds.
Dr Burton Shinners, hospital general manager, said “It has been a great opportunity for staff to pull together to support a fellow staff member. Suddenly, something that was personal to Hazel has become personal to us all,” he said.
Shinners added that the aim was not only to find a way to help Hazel and her family, but also to create a broader awareness.
“Neli is such a driving force. She has a strong personality and although she has been denied the opportunity of experiencing a lifestyle that other children have had she hasn’t allowed her disease to define her. That is phenomenal. We hope that our efforts will not only be able to help Nelly, but other children and people,” said Shinners.
Hazel said that she and her family are thrilled by the support she has gotten from her colleagues, but now anxiously wait to hear if any of the new donors could be a match for Neli. They are also preparing for Neli’s next course of chemotherapy.
“We feel very loved, and Neli is thrilled that the efforts of everyone will also help other people and little girls. Once she has gotten better we plan to start fundraising for other people who are going through similar difficulties,” she said.
To help Neli, in any way call her mother Hazel: on 073 662 0146, 062 045 2138 or her father Sipho on 073 611 2467.
To make a cash deposit to help Neli deposit into the following account: FNB, Savings Account, Account Number: 62486718566, Davenport Branch, 250655 (Branch Code).
