Elmi’s sweet creations to save the day for NJ

At first glance, Elmi Coetzee and her son NJ (12), a mischievous looking redhead, appear to be just another mother and son, but when one digs deeper, the deep bond of love and respect is revealed.
Elmi bakes mouth-watering creations including cupcakes, chocolate ganache and four-layer vanilla cakes sold at reasonable prices, the proceeds of which will be used for NJ to get the specialised treatment he is badly in need of for his condition, narcoleptic epilepsy. This is the same as epilepsy except that he usually has fits while he is sleeping. The condition also causes him to fall asleep suddenly at any place or time and attacks leave him feeling drained and exhausted.
According to his mother, when he was nine years old, he sustained a head injury and concussion while playing rugby. “Six months after he was injured, he was still complaining of headaches,” Elmi explained.
She said last October, they were unable to rouse NJ from sleep one morning. “At first the doctor diagnosed low blood pressure. But then he started having fits. The first time he had a narcoleptic attack, he was at school. One moment he was walking along the corridor and the next moment he fell like an ox. He was fast asleep, but his rapid eye movement indicated he was in the midst of an epileptic fit.”
He was taken to a specialist and all manner of blood tests as well as an electrocardiogram were done but they were no closer to an answer. “Johan Viljoen, a neurosurgeon in Polokwane, did a cat scan free of charge for us but nothing showed up.”
Eventually, when Elmi described to the doctor how he acted when having an episode, he was diagnosed with narcoleptic epilepsy and put on epileptic medication. “At first the medication worked very well but from the beginning of this year, he has been getting worse. The seizures are getting longer and more frequent and he is missing a lot of school,” Elmi said.
The family has already made an appointment set for 28 March with a specialist in Pretoria. Now they need to make sure they have enough funds for NJ to have all the tests he needs. “We will need some R25 000 for the doctors, tests and treatment, and that is why I am baking frantically from morning to night,” Elmi said.
She further said she was very grateful towards the people who have, and are supporting her by buying her delicious home baked goodies and she is sometimes hard put to keep up. “It has been so amazing, I didn’t advertise, just told a few people who then shared it on Facebook and the rest is history,” she said with a grateful smile.
NJ’s favourite creations are his mom’s cupcakes while Elmi says her biggest seller is without a doubt the chocolate ganache.
According to NJ it’s not so bad having narcoleptic epilepsy but he does admit that it’s very difficult when he has to catch up on the lessons he misses. He doesn’t play rugby anymore and has taken up chess. The family also enjoys pursuing water sport whenever they get a chance, which is rare these days.
“I am grateful for everything my mom and the whole family is doing to see to it that I receive the best possible treatment. It would be great not to have this condition as I am teased a lot at school,” he said wistfully.
Elmi adds that she would love it if parents would teach their children more about children with conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy. “If they knew better, they wouldn’t tease children who are ill,” she added.
Anyone who wishes to support the family in their endeavour can contact Elmi on 074 583 5093.

Story and photo: KAREN VENTER
>>karen@observer.co.za