OUR family was born and bred in the Highway area. As children we attended Forest View Primary and Kloof High.
When my sister and I got married we both lived and raised our children in Kloof and Hillcrest.
Mom, Glynnis de Klerk, is well known in the area and worked hard her whole life supporting other families and people where she could.
She volunteered at Highway Hospice and Hillcrest Hospital. She supported two of our gardeners through school and today one is a Metro policeman and the other is a magistrate. Mom never smoked a day in her life.
About 18 months ago she and my dad left South Africa to join my sister and I in the UK.
In December 2017, she developed a cold that turned into pneumonia and by February, she had been diagnosed with a collapsed lung. She underwent minor surgery to remove the fluid from her lung and it was then they took a biopsy with devastating results.
Not only did she have cancer but she had mesothelioma, an incurable and eventually terminal cancer caused through asbestos exposure and she had 12 months to live. It’s a very rare cancer and there are few specialists who can treat it.
We were devastated and mom has struggled to accept it.
The tragedy is that Mom has had medical aid her whole life but cancelled her Discovery Health cover in December 2017, due to cost, a decision she sorely regrets.
Currently she’s undergoing six chemotherapy sessions under the care of St Barts hospital in London but, to prolong her life, she needs life saving surgery to remove the lining of her lung. With the help of surgery mom could live for another 10 years, without the operation she has 12 to 15 months at best.
This is not offered on the NHS and can only be done through private treatment.
We have tried exploring options in SA but distance makes it difficult.
We’ve set up a go fund me page to raise the money we need.
People can donate through the link below https://www.gofundme.com/lifesaving-surgery-needed-for-mom or alternatively if they would like to get in touch with us they can reach me via [email protected]
Tracey Wood
Kent, UK
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