R160K needed for woman’s emergency surgery
"I need a biliary reconstruction surgery to have a normal life again," said the mother of two toddler girls.
A 28-year-old Montclair woman desperately needs the kindness of good Samaritans to help her fund her medical bill towards an urgent surgery.
Jolene van der Mescht-Slabbert is in need of an immediate biliary reconstruction surgery. What started out as severe abdominal pains in January, has now spiraled into an array of surgeries, trips in and out of hospital and tallying medical bills. R160 000 is needed to be forked for the latest surgery.
“I need a biliary reconstruction surgery to have a normal life again,” said the mother of two toddler girls.
She said her medical woes started in January when she went for a check-up at Tambo Memorial Hospital where she was advised that she had an inflamed gallbladder with gallstones and that they would book her for surgery. She was sent me home with antibiotics for the inflammation to be cleared up. The gallbladder with gallstones was removed and about a week later, her abdomen was again swollen.
“By that time I was in such bad pain, and no doctor knew what was wrong with me. On Monday, 4 March, a doctor wanted to do a colonoscopy to see where the blood was coming. They gave me medicine to clean out my colon, but during this time, I just got worse,” Jolene recalled.
She was transferred to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital a few days later where a doctor advised her of an emergency wash-out procedure that she needed to relieve her of the then abdominal pains.
“At 9pm that evening I had my second surgery for the emergency wash-out of 7.5l of bile. This was where I got my first drain which helped to relieve the pain that I felt within days. Unfortunately, during surgery, they discovered that one of the ducts, a tube lined conveying secretion, was cut when they removed the gallbladder. I had to have a pigtail drain fitted with a stent in order to live,” she said.
A stent is a tiny tube that a doctor inserts into a blocked passageway to keep it open.
“After this surgery, I had another six surgeries and four drains. I was hospitalised for two months before I had the chance to see my two baby girls, aged three and a year-and-a-half. It was an extremely difficult time in which I couldn’t see my children because I had no energy. I could barely walk to the bathroom and back without fainting. My body was weak, I only had fluids and I couldn’t eat. I had drains, drips, and blood taken every single day four to five times to monitor the infection in my blood.”
Six months later, Jolene and her family relocated to Durban. A specialist advised her that she would have to remove her pigtail drain as it had already outlived its life span. I hope there are some angels who would be able to assist me urgently. I am asking for donations for this surgery,” she appealed.
To help raise the much-needed funds, Jolene has started a Back-a-buddy fundraising page. To donate, visit Backabuddy. She is also running a raffle at R100 a ticket. The first prize is an ox, second prize is a sheep and a pig is the third prize. The lucky draw will be on Saturday, 23 November. To enter or for more details, call Jolene on 082-052-6456.
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