Nine-year-old Zelnay Liebenberg from Brakpan continues putting up a brave fight against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and her family is facing a difficult and urgent medical journey.

Zelnay needs immunotherapy, costing about R3m, as a necessary step before she can receive a bone marrow transplant. Immunotherapy aims to help prepare her body for the transplant, which is critical for her treatment.

As previously reported by the Brakpan Herald, when Zelnay’s symptoms first started, initial consultations with a doctor yielded few answers. The doctor told her parents that she was showing signs of iron deficiency and inflammatory arthritis.

She was given pain medication, but continued to complain about extreme pain in her legs and stomach, so she was taken for further testing, whereafter she was admitted to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

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At the hospital, Zelnay underwent a lumbar puncture and a bone marrow test. These specific procedures finally provided doctors with a definitive diagnosis, confirming her leukaemia.

To support Zelnay, community members can make a donation to her BackaBuddy fund at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-zelnay-fight-leukaemia, or support the praise and worship fundraiser that will take place on May 30.

The event, A Night of Hope: Praise & Worship Fundraiser for Zelnay, will take place at the AGS Ilumen Church in Beyerspark, Boksburg, from 18:00. Gates open at 16:00.

Tickets are available from https://voelgoed.co.za/eksterne-funksie/praise-and-worship-for-zelany/
They will also be available at the door, along with coffee and pancakes for sale.

“We invite the community to bring their families and friends for an evening of worship, prayer, fellowship and support,” said the event’s organiser, Mary-An Neethling.

“We are also grateful for the support of AGS Ilumen, AGS Lofoord and AGS Brakpan-Wes, who are standing with us to help make this evening possible.”