Financial relief for Pretoria girl with neuroblastoma cancer

Three-year-old Skylar Meyer, who was diagnosed with stage three neuroblastoma cancer, will start radiation treatment, thanks to a R50 000 donation by the local Caring Daisies group on Tuesday.

It will be the first time that Meyer, who is from Equestria in the east of Pretoria, will undergo radiation treatment.

“It was an emotional phone call for us,” said her father Sias.

“But at the same time, we as a family realised that there are angels among us.”

This is a huge financial relief for the family as her mother, Chantel, had to resign from her job to be with Skylar on a 24/7 basis.

About a month ago, Chantel created a page on backabuddy to raise funds for her medical expenses, special diets and travelling costs.

Within only two weeks, they managed to raise R11 000.

Skylar underwent several operations and treatments for seven months.

Her ordeal started on 27 June last year when her parents took her to the hospital at Margate to get her belly button checked out after it changed colour.

She was transferred to Ethekwini hospital and then the heart centre in Durban for specialist medical attention.

She was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit a day later.

The next morning their world fell apart as they were informed that Skylar has a tumour located in her kidney, confirming she had cancer.

She was then sent for scan after scan, and test after test, to determine what kind of tumour it was.

A biopsy, bone marrow and Iobenguane test confirmed that it was stage 2 neuroblastoma cancer where the tumour was actually located outside her kidney, and that it was a more aggressive kind of cancer, which will be more difficult to treat.

This “warrior princess” will soon start radiation for three weeks, five days a week.

“We are going into the unknown in again, as Skylar has never undergone radiation treatment before.

“We do not know what the next three to six months will hold.

“I just want to make sure the money helps us find ways to keep her smile on her face for as long as possible.

“The amount means an awful lot, we can now actually give her a proper Christmas which we thought would just have to be very small,” said Chantel.

She added that the family do not have to worry about all the bills for a while.

“She is as such a precious girl. The money will give us a chance to help her and give her what she needs.”