It started with a charity golf day and a lemonade stand run by her five-year-old daughter, Tannah.
Eight years and seven golf days later, Tannah’s Gift, founded by Judy Bloomfield, a former Springs Girls’ High School learner, has raised almost R600 000 for the Netcare Foundation’s cleft lip and palate programme.
Through the years, Bloomfield’s involvement with the Netcare Foundation, which reaches out nationally to disadvantaged individuals with certain medical conditions who are in dire need of assistance, has escalated considerably.
This year, Bloomfield entered the Mrs SA pageant, in which she is one of the finalists, and has chosen to represent Tannah’s Gift and the Netcare Foundation to raise further awareness for two important causes that are close to her heart.
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“Due to the pandemic, last year was the first time in seven years the golf tournament could not go ahead.
“Our work, however, continued as we pivoted to assisting public healthcare facilities in need of life-saving PPE.
“The annual Tannah’s Gift Golf Day is back on this year and was held at Huddle Park Golf Club on November 4, with the prize-giving hosted at Ridgeway. We were delighted to raise R70 000 in donations this year,” said Bloomfield.
Bloomfield’s daughter, Tannah, who is now 13 years old, was born with a cleft lip and palate, a medical condition known for causing speech and eating difficulties and impeding physical and social development if not treated early.
Tannah was, however, one of the lucky ones, as her parents were on medical aid and were, therefore, able to pay for a series of operations to correct the condition.
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“If left untreated, a cleft lip and palate is a severe deformity that could impede normal functioning, especially when it comes to speech.
“Many of the sufferers’ families do not have the means to pay for these operations, so these individuals are often ostracised and unable to fulfil their full potential due to a lack of understanding about their condition,” added Bloomfield.
“Aside from the physical aspects of such medical conditions, many people with craniofacial anomalies or cleft lip and palate are often stigmatised and shunned by society,” explained Mande Toubkin, Netcare GM.
“The Netcare Foundation, in partnership with various healthcare practitioners and organisations, such as Tannah’s Gift, has changed the lives of hundreds of South Africans afflicted with these conditions through their CSI programmes. We thank them and our Netcare hospitals for supporting the Netcare Foundation and helping many people to realise their full potential. We hope to help many more in the future.”
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