Throughout September, the Brakpan Herald has been publishing the stories of Cupcake Heroes, or children who were supported through their battles with cancer by the NPC Cupcakes of Hope.

Readers have read about JP Bruwer and Lieben can Zijl, and this week we reintroduce Delarize Stevenson to the public, the Cupcake Hero who died in 2024 after a brave two-year battle against osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

Her mother, Karin Stevenson, who still lives in Springs, is supporting this year’s Cupcake Day bake sale to be hosted in the Mall@Carnival on September 26, as one of the three “oncology moms”.

Cupcakes of Hope supports children with cancer through treatments by providing financial and emotional support to the families of their beneficiaries, called Cupcake Heroes.

They raise funds on National Cupcake Day, when Cupcake Angels set up stalls in malls across the country to sell cupcakes. The Cupcake Angels bake the cupcakes, but the public can also donate them for the fundraising effort.

Delarize benefited from the funds raised through this NPC, so even though she ultimately passed away, her battle was made just a bit easier through this support system.

A month before Delarize first went to the hospital, she was pushed down the stairs at school by another child and injured her leg. A few days later she fell again, re-injuring the leg.

Initially, her parents didn’t think much of it and took her to the pharmacy to get pain medication and something to calm down the swelling.

After two weeks, however, the swelling hadn’t gone down, so Delarize was taken to the local clinic, which also prescribed pain medication and something for the swelling.

Despite this, she did not improve, so her parents started thinking something might be wrong; in September of that year, they took her to her general practitioner, who wanted to see if there was any fluid build-up and attempted to drain it.

No fluid came out, so he referred her for an X-ray, which was taken the next day. She was sent to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, where she had another X-ray and blood tests.

Delarize was admitted for an MRI scan, as the X-ray already indicated a tumour. After a few days, her potassium levels dropped and she had to receive an infusion, after which things progressed slowly, much to the stress of her parents.

ALSO READ: Cupcakes of Hope warrior beats brain cancer

The MRI was done days after this, and her parents were told the results would take two weeks. The next day, a CT scan was done, and they were told a biopsy would be done.

Two bone scans were done at a later time, and weeks later she was moved to the cancer ward as the results came back with osteosarcoma as the diagnosis.

She now faced 10 weeks of chemotherapy, a full amputation from the hip, and another 19 weeks of chemotherapy, all on a 14-year-old girl.

Despite all this, she remained a friendly girl and fought bravely for two years before the cancer ultimately claimed her life.

To support others like Delarize, pledge cupcakes to the Cupcake Day event so funds can continue to support children with cancer, or stop by on September 26 to buy cupcakes.

For more information on how to get involved, contact Leandri van Zijl on 066 471 2534.