Help Stepping Stone Hospice reach more hearts
Discover how one daughter's dying wish became a beacon of hope for thousands, and why urgent action is needed to keep that promise alive.
In January 2013, as 38-year-old Vicky Bruce took her final breaths, she whispered something to her mother that would change countless lives: “Mom, start a Hospice in Alberton so no one will have to suffer the way I did.”
Today, that dying wish lives on through Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services, the greater Alberton area’s first and only specialised palliative care facility.
But Vicky’s story was just the beginning of something extraordinary.
Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services is a five-star-rated, non-profit, community-driven organisation in Alberton, Johannesburg South.
It is a registered member of the Association of Palliative Care Centres (APCC) and provides expert palliative care to people diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, through both its in-patient unit and home-based care services.
The Hospice operates an in-patient unit with eight rooms and delivers home-based care to more than 150 patients each month.
Their multidisciplinary team includes doctors, trained palliative nurses, therapists, social workers, spiritual counsellors and volunteers.
They care for both children and adults with conditions such as HIV, cancer, renal failure, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Their paediatric unit in Raceview is specifically designed to support children with life-limiting conditions, while their adult unit in New Market Park has assisted over 4 000 patients since opening in 2013. In addition, they have provided grief counselling to at least 38 000 bereaved family members.
Every minute counts
To meet the growing need for palliative care, the Hospice relies heavily on home-based nursing services. However, their biggest challenge is transport.
“At Stepping Stone, we have never turned anyone away because we believe every person deserves dignity, comfort and professional care, regardless of their circumstances. But without reliable vehicles, we cannot reach everyone who desperately needs us,” said founder and CEO, Tersia Burger.
“Picture this: It’s 03:00 when nurse Sister Nomsa Shaba receives an urgent call. A terminally ill grandmother in Thokoza is in excruciating pain, but there is no vehicle to reach her. By the time help arrives using borrowed transport, the family has already watched her suffer needlessly through the night.
“This heartbreaking scenario repeats itself across Johannesburg South, where we care for 150 to 160 patients, including precious children. Without enough vehicles, we simply cannot get to everyone who needs specialised palliative care,” Burger explained.
The cost of running this life-changing operation is at least R1m every month. That includes specialised medical equipment, medication, trained staff salaries and maintenance of both the adult and children’s units.
“Every vehicle we add means another township reached, another child comforted, another family supported through their darkest hour,” she said.
Every rand is stretched to serve as many people as possible, but the shortage of vehicles means they are sometimes forced to turn away those who need them most.
If you can help, please contact Tersia Burger on 083 251 9605.
