A mother’s love endures through it all. Lucille Booysen is appealing to her community to help her son get the necessary medical treatment to not only improve his life but to save it as well.
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Lucille’s son Brandon was diagnosed with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease in 2009 at only four years old. Naturally, this was a great shock to his mother and she set about making sure he gets the best care she could afford. Fast forward 14 years; Brandon is 18 this year and in the end stage of kidney failure.
“He has had over 33 surgeries and medical procedures to date,” explained his mom.
Brandon has a single left duplex kidney, a bladder septum, neurogenic bladder, reflux, mild spinal bifida, re-implantation of the urethra, failed Mitrofanoff procedure (which creates a new tube on a child’s belly through which a child can urinate by using a catheter), bladder reconstruction, had his left testis removed, tonsils and adenoids removed, has knock-knee issues, have had screws and plates put into his knees which subsequently failed and had to be removed and have future knee replacement surgery after he receives a kidney transplant.
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“Brandon has sleep apnea; a machine is still required, but medical aid will not cover the full cost,” added Lucille.
“A vesicostomy button, which ideally allows the patient to enjoy the benefits of urinary continence with intermittent bladder drainage without the use of a bag or catheter insertion, has been inserted to help Brandon, which we have had to buy out of our pocket,” Lucille also explained that every time Brandon has been admitted into hospital, she has had to stay over in her car due to his anxiety.
“His education is on hold due to his health, he has been on dialysis for more than eight years. He has also done peritoneal dialysis [a way to remove waste products from your blood when your kidneys can’t adequately do the job any longer] and is currently on hemodialysis,” she explained. Each dialysis treatment takes three to four hours, often meaning that Brandon only finishes his treatment at 21:30.
She says Brandon is on a lot of medication, most of which many medical aids do not cover. He is currently waiting for a transplant workup – which unfortunately their medical aid won’t cover half of the costs.
Brandon goes into Flora Life Hospital three times a week for hemodialysis during the night shift because of his school schedule during the day.
“I’m unemployed and trying to find a half-day job, so I can be my son’s caregiver and get him to school, home, and dialysis weekly,” explained Lucille, “I can’t do this alone anymore. I’m battling to give my son the medical treatment he needs and make ends meet when most of my time goes to him. My son and I need help, support, and prayers. He has gone through so much most of his life.”
Hospitals, surgeries, and pain are all Brandon knows.
A local business, Discotech, has offered to sponsor a raffle for Brandon where they are raffling out a Disco including DJ, lighting, and a free one-hour mini photo booth. To enter the raffle choose a number (if available) from one to 100. Pay the raffle ticket using the banking details provided and then post proof of payment on the WhatsApp group.
Once all the tickets have been sold they will do a live draw on a Microsoft teams meeting. 100 tickets need to be sold. So far only four tickets have been sold.
“R4 000 goes to the event holder and R1 000 to Brandon for his medical needs,” explained Lucille.
To donate or find out more about the raffle or Brandon’s treatment, call Lucille at 079 345 1480.
