Family seeks funds for stage 4 colon cancer treatment
The family of Cindy Mulder, a 57-year-old mother of two, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, seeks the community's help in raising funds for her medical treatment.
A mother’s role is a bond that’s impossible to put into words, but one that fills our lives with meaning and purpose. So, when we see our moms suffer, it’s like watching a part of us wither away. The pain is indescribable, the helplessness overwhelming.
For Shannon Mulder and her family, this pain has become all too familiar. Their beloved mother, Cindy, has been battling Stage 4 colon cancer, and the journey has been nothing short of heartbreaking.
“My mom wants to live. She wants to see her grandchildren grow up. She wants to feel human again,” said Mulder.
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She said her mother’s journey has been marred by delayed diagnosis, poor hospital care, and a lack of proper medical support. In July 2024, Cindy began experiencing severe abdominal cramps and vomiting, but it wasn’t until November that cancer was even mentioned. By then, it had spread to her hip, liver, stomach, and bones.
Mulder believes that the hospital care her mother received was woefully inadequate. She recounts the horrific experience of her mother’s ileostomy bag leaking severely, burning her skin, and the nurses’ delayed response.
“We were furious,” she said. “Had faeces entered her open surgical wound, it could have been fatal.” As it was, the wound became infected, leading to emergency surgery and a prolonged hospital stay.
Despite these challenges, Cindy’s spirit remains unbroken. However, her condition continues to deteriorate. She’s now in constant pain, vomiting all her food, and can barely walk.
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The family’s monthly clinic appointments are often fruitless, with essential medications, like morphine syrup, frequently out of stock.
Mulder has a heartfelt plea to the community, begging help. “She deserves better. She deserves to be seen, to be treated like a human being.”
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The family is desperate to raise funds to get Cindy to a private oncologist who can offer proper care, pain relief, and dignity. “We’re watching her fade away, powerless. We’re grateful for any support, even if it’s just sharing her story. Every rand counts, whether it’s R50 or R500, and will go toward doctor visits, transport, medical supplies, nutrition, or home nursing. She wants to live. She wants to feel human again.”
This is the link to the BackaBuddy campaign that Mulder started to seek help from the community at large: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/a-chance-for-my-mom-cindly-mulder
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