Family needs help in the run-up to daughter’s surgery

Daggafontein resident Boitumelo Mokoena (22) is asking the community for help while her six-month-old baby girl waits for surgery.
Rearabetswe Mokoena will undergo cleft palate repair surgery at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic hospital on August 15.
For the success of the surgery, she needs to follow a strict diet plan to put on weight as she currently weighs 4.5kg.
The unemployed mother relies on a social grant which makes it hard for her to cater to the feeding needs of her child.
Rearabetswe was born weighing 1.6kg at the Far East Rand Hospital, where she was placed in an incubator for 10 days after her birth.
The family has since been in and out of the hospital.

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Boitumelo said maintaining her daughter’s needs has been challenging.
“She feeds on liquid foods and takes a special milk.
“When feeding, I must be careful to watch her all the time as she can easily choke.
“She also struggles with breathing and I have to use an ointment because she gets a rash on the lower lip from the milk,” she explained.
She needs help with food, clothes and medical necessities after the surgery.
“We struggle with food, especially for her since she can’t just eat anything.
“Also, we do not have a permanent place to reside. We have been moving from one place to the next since she was born,” added Boitumelo.
To help, contact Boitumelo on 078 183 5599.

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