A little charitable spirit can make a huge difference

When you think about non-profit organisations that assist children that have been diagnosed with cancer, your mind will immediately go to the likes of Cupcakes 4 Cansa or CHOC, but the lesser-known organisations are just as important.

In 2015, a short while after her two-month-old son was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, Marieta Viljoen launched the De Wet Viljoen Foundation – a Witpoortjie-based awareness NPO named after her baby boy. While taking her son for his chemotherapy treatments at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital (Joburg Gen), Marieta noticed how many children would sit alone in the hospital all day, doing their chemo treatments without so much as a sandwich or juice to keep their energy levels up.

The more time she spent at the hospital, the more she came to know these children and their stories. Many of them were awake at 4am so they would be able to catch a taxi by themselves and get to the hospital early enough to start the day’s treatments and finish in time to get another taxi home. They were left to do their treatments alone, often because their parents were unable to get time off from work. “I had a very generous boss, but not all of the parents were as lucky as I was,” said Marieta.

Marieta’s heart broke, so she started collecting donations to take to the hospital on her visits. When De Wet’s treatments slowed down, Marieta continued to deliver donations to the hospital on a quarterly basis. Items collected by the Foundation include colouring books, crayons, sweets, groceries, and whatever the hospital may need at the time. The largest donation delivered to date, was four cars full of items. “During the lockdown, I wasn’t able to go drop off donations as often because of the safety regulations, but I have a very good relationship with the staff at Joburg Gen, so if they need something urgently, they call and I will always make a plan,” the mother of four continued.

The Foundation has also assisted two very special children, one from Witpoortjie and one from Sasolburg, with their prosthetic eyes and medical treatments. Since a prosthetic eye costs approximately R20 000 and needs to be built up constantly as the child grows (not to mention the medical consultation costs associated with this) the help that Marieta was able to provide these families was invaluable. “I just want to help the little ones who aren’t as fortunate as my boy was,” said Marieta. “You need to give wherever you can, have compassion, and just be there to support the people who are going through a difficult time.”

When her son was diagnosed, Marieta made it her goal to learn as much as she could about childhood cancer and the treatments so she could make this uncomfortable experience more bearable for her son, and now she shares that information with others. Mothers who are struggling to cope during their child’s diagnosis also contact Marieta for support and advice, which she is more than happy to give. “I may not always be able to give money, but I will always be able to give my ears,” she said.

If you would like to find out more about the Foundation, or if you have any donations you would like to give, Marieta can be contacted on 083 363 6388 or by emailing marietaviljoen2@gmail.com; alternatively, you can follow the Foundation’s Facebook page: @DeWetViljoenFoundation.