Sunward Park gran selling branded masks to provide Hope for Conor

The Van Baalen family decided to use a creative approach to raise funds for Conor, their seven-year-old son who suffers from a rare kidney disease.

Conor’s grandmother, from Sunward Park, Santie Botha, explained they are now selling masks as they are urgently in need of funds to pay for the medical bills that are piling up.

There are black masks with the wording Hope for Conor available for R50 and denim masks with the same wording for R55.

“We had to think out of the box as we’re unable to host any fund-raising events due to the pandemic,” Santie said.

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Support seven-year-old Conor with kidney disease

At just 22-months-old, Conor became extremely ill and after two months of medical tests he went for a kidney biopsy. He was later diagnosed with focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS), a kidney disease that is often difficult to treat, affecting each patient differently.

FSGS is not a single disease but rather a pattern of kidney damage and is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome, especially in children and adolescents.

Conor’s nephrologist tried several treatments and by the end of 2017, doctors confirmed that his FSGS was steroid resistant.

The only thing that could help Conor was a kidney transplant.

His parents, Hennie and Santie, instantly began the quest to find a kidney for Conor.

About a year later, Danie de Wet donated his kidney to the little boy.

Santie said the kidney transplant was a success, but sadly Conor’s genetic condition can’t be cured and doctors can’t say how long his new kidney will last.

“Therefore, we are still urgently in need of funds as he still needs to receive costly treatment,” she said.

His grandmother expressed her gratitude towards everybody who contributed towards Conor’s treatment.

“We know it’s a difficult time for everybody, but we would appreciate it if the community could assist us,” Santie said.

Anybody who would like to order a mask or is willing to make a contribution may contact Santie on 082 959 0753 or at santiefrik@gmail.com or follow his Facebook page (Hope for Conor).

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