Hundreds of thousands to save a life

In June of this year, Natasha Boshoff proved that a parent would do anything to save their child, no matter the cost.

A difficult financial situation led to the Kloofendal resident needing to cancel her insurance policies and medical aid. She hoped and prayed that nothing bad would happen until she could pay for medical aid again, but things don’t always turn out as planned.

By 20 June Natasha’s daughter, Tiané, had been in unimaginable pain for three weeks and her health was deteriorating rapidly. After seeing three different doctors, the Boshoff family found out that Tianés appendix had burst, and she needed emergency surgery.

Without a medical aid, the 13-year-old girl was referred to a public hospital for surgery. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus patients keeping all the staff busy, it was nearly impossible for her to be seen in time. Knowing her daughter’s life was in danger, Natasha decided to think now and pay later, and immediately took her to Parklands Private Hospital.

Panic set in when Natasha was told that nothing could be done for her daughter until a deposit of R83 000 was paid, but a good Samaritan by the name of Mr Green offered to help the desperate family. At approximately 1am the next day Natasha was called into theatre by the surgeon who had been operating on Tiané for nearly four hours.

He told Natasha that Tiané’s situation was dire because her appendix had burst days before. This caused septicaemia, meaning the surgeon could not close the wound for a few days and Tiané would need to go back into theatre to have the wound cleaned afterwards, costing Natasha even more money. Tiané spent the next four days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before going back into theatre on 24 June to have her wound cleaned and closed.

She spent another two days in ICU before being transferred to a general ward. Natasha thought the worst was over, but her daughter’s condition just kept getting worse. Doctors discovered that the infection had spread, and she urgently needed three pints of blood for a transfusion.

She looked a lot better after the procedure, but the relief was short-lived. After Tiané complained that she was struggling to breathe, tests confirmed that she was positive for Covid-19. The virus had seriously affected her breathing and on 10 August she needed to go back into theatre to have fluid drained from her lungs.

Natasha wasn’t able to visit her daughter due to the dangers posed by the pandemic, but video calls kept them both going until she was finally discharged on 15 August, after nearly two months in hospital.

She is recovering at home now, but her divorced parents need to pay medical bills of more than R249 000, and are asking the community for any help. ?I would like to say thank you to every person who stood by us and prayed with us, but I need help with the bills,? said Natasha. A BackaBuddy page has been set up for Tiané, and Natasha is prepared to work on weekends to earn donations for her daughter’s medical bills.

If you can help this desperate family, visit www.backabuddy.co.za/tiane-boshoff to donate, or contact Natasha on 083 459 6815.