A Pretoria family urgently seeks support for their 21-month-old daughter, Ellané, who suffered severe burns in a freak accident and needs extensive medical care.

According to Ellané’s mother, Irene Engelbrecht, the accident happened on the evening of Sunday, July 28th, around 18:30.

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“Everything happened so fast. It still feels so unreal. All I can recall is preparing tea for the evening in a jug for our 21-month-old twins sippy cups. I had just rested on the couch for a few minutes after experiencing pelvic pain; I am currently 36 weeks pregnant.”

She said her husband, Christof, was talking to her, and the next moment, she heard him making or saying something in an urgent voice.

“I can’t even remember what he said. I jumped up to find that my daughter had climbed onto the kitchen counter and pulled the hot jug of tea over her head and face.”

Irene immediately jumped up to help her husband get Ellané out of the tea, undress her, and rush to the bathroom to put her under cold water while he packed a bag and got our son.

“We rushed to the nearest hospital and explained that we didn’t have medical aid but needed urgent help. We asked if they could stabilize her until we could drive 25 minutes to the nearest state hospital. We arranged to make the payments later.”

She said an immediate payment was required.

“We didn’t have the funds, but an angel, who didn’t even know us, stepped in to cover that expense. We are deeply grateful and will repay the rest.”

Irene said blisters began forming, Ellané’s eyes were swollen, and she was in severe pain.

Doctors determined that she sustained third-degree burns on her face, arms, and shoulders.

She had to spend ten days in the hospital and is currently recovering at home.

“Our twins, Ellané Jane Engelbrecht and Elijah Ivan Engelbrecht, bring so much joy and energy into our lives. Ellané, our little girl, has been facing a challenging time, and we’re doing everything we can to support her recovery.”

Click here to go to the family’s Back a Buddy page. 

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