Little Gabby – a modern-day miracle
It would take a miracle to save little Gabby's life and that is exactly what the family received – a miracle.
Miracles do happen and one of these miracles is the story of little Gabby Roberts and her half-sister, Samantha, who saved her life.
Darrel Roberts and Hester Foxcroft are both well-known for the work they do in the community. They are the founders of the Krugersdorp War Against Drugs (Kwad) initiative.
They do not only try to get drugs off the streets, but also help families affected by drugs and those who want to go to rehab.
About two months ago, their nine-month-old daughter, Gabby, fell ill with ear pain. The family took her to the clinic and a pharmacy where she was given medicine.
Even with the medicine, Gabby kept getting worse and after a while her little body turned a yellowish colour.
She was rushed to the doctor and diagnosed with acute jaundice and tonsillitis.
The doctor prescribed antibiotics but after finishing the course, little Gabby did not show any improvement. She was prescribed a second course of antibiotics.
When that did not work, her parents took her to hospital, where she was admitted and tests were done.
In the meantime, Gabby was only sleeping for half an hour a day and was vomiting so much that she could not keep any nourishment down. She began having fits and spasms and became very ill.
Darrel eventually approached a professor who worked in the hospital and begged him to help them.
After more tests, it emerged that Gabby’s liver had all but died and this had created pressure on her brain which caused the spasms and fits.
Gabby was immediately placed on a waiting list for a liver transplant, but fortunately she had loads of family willing to step in and donate.
It was decided that Samantha, Gabby’s 20-year-old half-sister, was the best donor.
Within a day, the two girls were in surgery. First a piece of Samantha’s liver had to be removed and then transplanted into Gabby’s abdomen.
Samantha’s operation started at 1am, and Gabby came out of surgery at 10am.
It has been a painful and rough few weeks for this family, but both girls are doing very well.
In the meantime, support and love for the girls and their family have been streaming in from all over.
Gabby is currently in the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Parktown, which means her parents have to drive in every day to visit them. Samantha is back home recovering well.
Darrel still comes back to Krugersdorp to work and drives to Parktown twice a day. This has taken a huge toll on the family and community members have opened a bank account to help the family financially.
If you would like to contribute something to ease their burden, you can donate to the Baby Gabby Fund through the Capitec account numbered 1637814559.
Look out for the Krugersdorp News next week when we will have more details on this story.
