Video: Young man pleads for donations for life-saving transplant

A 21-year-old Birch Acres resident needs money for a life-saving bone marrow transplant next year.

Adriaan Booysen has been diagnosed with T-cell or Lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukaemia (known as TALL) and is awaiting a transplant in February next year.

Booysen is appealing for assistance with his medical bills which are about R1.56 million thus far. The outstanding costs which have not been covered by his medical aid amount to R187 000. This does not include the transplant costs which are still to be calculated as soon as the process begins.

In May this year, Booysen had difficulty breathing during a business trip to China. He was diagnosed with what the doctor thought at the time was chronic bronchitis.

“When the chest pains and breathing difficulty wouldn’t stop, I went to a specialist physician who said I had lymphoma. The results of a biopsy and bone marrow test showed I had leukaemia,” he said.

A 14 by 8cm growth was found between his lungs. Large amounts of fluid were found surrounding his heart and lungs and drainage pipes were necessary to get rid of the fluids. He could not undergo chemotherapy until the fluids were drained.

He was placed in isolation and almost 2 litres of fluids were drained from his right lung and then treatment began.

Booysen said at first he was not afraid but after undergoing his first chemotherapy treatment the reality of his disease hit him.

“The treatment wasn’t nice. I started getting tired and spent eight days in ICU in isolation. That period was very sad for me.”

Booysen lost 38kg within the first month of treatment.

A year ago, he was a normal athletic young adult who played rugby and loved socialising with friends. He was also in the middle of an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic.

Booysen now takes about 20 tablets a day and has to undergo treatment and blood tests twice a week. The journey has not been easy physically and financially, not only for himself but also for his family.

His mother, Hester, said it had been a roller coaster ride and that she cried every single day.

The mother of three boys has been forced to juggle between work, taking care of her youngest son and the household.

“It’s been hard seeing him like this, especially when you’re helpless. Sometimes you wish you could take it upon yourself,” she said.

“He’s never been sick. It is hard to cope, you feel your whole world is being pulled from right under you,” she added.

The family had not had any history of cancer on both Booysen’s parent’s side and this had resulted in him asking a lot of questions.

“He would ask why me, what did I do wrong and depression and anger would kick in,” she explained.

Hester said she had done everything she could to ensure that the bulk of his bills were covered with the help and support of both friends and family.

“The support system has been great but the bills keep getting higher and higher and I don’t want him to be stressed with money issues.”

The mother and son are hoping that the bone marrow transplant will afford Booysen the chance to lead a normal life.

“The doctors told us they were not God but that without the transplant he would not survive.”

During the procedure, Booysen’s destroyed bone marrow will be replaced with healthy bone marrow stem cells from a donor that has been identified in Cape Town.

The donor is only available to harvest his blood cells in February which is when the procedure will take place.

Booysen is not looking forward to the heavy radiation and chemotherapy that will follow the procedure and says the future holds no guarantees but he is hoping for the best.

His dream is to obtain his diesel mechanic certificate, travel to Zambia for a few years and marry his girlfriend who has been with him for four years.

“I love Zambia because of the landscape, the culture, the people and the wildlife,” he said.

Hester just wants her healthy son back and thanks every Good Samaritan who donates towards her son’s medical bills.

“Words fail to describe the gratitude and appreciation when a stranger helps a person in need. We live in a world filled with crime but there are still good people out there,” she said.

Ward 13 acting DA PR councillor, Allan Sauls, asks the community to assist the Booysen family by making contributions of any amount into an account that has been opened in Booysen’s name.

Sauls has made a contribution of R100 and said any amount donated would go a long way.

The banking details are:

A Booysen, Smart Account, First National Bank, Account Number: 62485121819. Branch: 250655

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