Dreams of spending quality time watching her young family grow seem to be dwindling for Sherillyn Dumas (42) as she battles with cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening and debilitating disorder.
Sherillyn grew up in Estcourt and lived near Drakensview Primary School for many years. Her mother, Rita White, owned the tuck shop and clothing store at Drakensview for a very long time. Sherillyn has relocated to Alberton in order to be closer to Milpark Hospital, but has many friends in and around Estcourt. Family members are relying on the generosity of friends (and strangers) to help Sherillyn get the medication she requires.
Her brother, Linton, provides more insight into Sherillyn’s condition…
“CF is an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. Inevitably, most CF sufferers don’t live a full life and require special care, as well as medication. At some point in their journey, their lungs will become too weak to absorb enough oxygen to survive.”
He says that Sherillyn’s lung function is currently 30%, which is down significantly over the last year. She is battling to keep her oxygen saturation levels above 85% and is frequently in hospital, as well as on oxygen almost permanently.
“She currently weighs 36kg, which is well below a healthy weight, and has dropped dramatically over the last year. As you can imagine, this affects every facet of her life, and her quality of life is deteriorating at a more rapid pace than before,” says Linton.
Weighing up the options available to Sherillyn, Linton says that a lung transplant may not be viable, as Sherillyn may be too weak by the time she is placed on the waiting list. Another costly option has seen the family turn to the public to help save Sherillyn’s life – she needs prescription medicine called TRIKAFTA.
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“The very big challenge with TRIKAFTA is that the company who created it, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has put a very hefty price tag on it. South African CF sufferers will spend approximately R6 million a year. I’m sure you will understand that this is basically impossible for most,” explains Linton.
The good news, he says, is that there is an alternative available called TRIXACAR, which has shown fantastic results among numerous CF sufferers.
“In some cases, they have reversed the effects of CF and no longer require hospital stays or oxygen. The bad news is that it is only available in Argentina and although far cheaper, it still costs R70,000 for a one-month supply. This can be stretched using a combination of medications, which means we could potentially have a one-year supply with a minimum purchase of a five-month supply (R350,000) from Argentina. The collection fees – including air travel, etc – work out to approximately R40,000. This brings our total upfront funding required to R390,000 for year one,” says Sherillyn’s brother.
Linton has since started a BackaBuddy page for Sherillyn, and contributions thus far have reached just over R50,000.
To make a contribution, visit – https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/sherillyn-dumas-5481506855958343065 or contact Linton directly on 081 304 0996.
“Sherillyn is a mother of two beautiful children, a wife to a supportive husband, a daughter, an aunt and a sister who would love to spend many more happy years with us. Without the miracle of TRIXACAR, she may not be able to,” he concludes.
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