Personal message

As a very close friend of Bonnie's, I am launching this crowdfunding campaign with BackaBuddy. Bonnie is one of the strongest people I know, and I admire the way she is handling the curve ball life has thrown at her. With this BackaBuddy campaign, I humbly ask for your assistance to help Bonnie get the treatment she needs to go into remission and for her son Henry to have the opportunity to have his mom in his life for a long time to come.

Bonnie was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. One month after the birth of her son Henry, she started ABVD chemotherapy and completed six cycles in October 2022. Unfortunately, she suffered a relapse in January 2023 with multiple cancerous lymph nodes above and below the diaphragm and bone marrow involvement. She began salvage chemotherapy with the ICE regimen, but showed only a partial response. On June 21, 2023, she underwent a stem cell transplant, but she is at high risk of relapse and required Adcetris maintenance therapy as per the AETHERA trial. Approval for 16 cycles of Adcetris at a cost of R1.2 million was declined by Discovery due to the nature of her plan. She then applied for ex-gratia funding for this drug, which was unfortunately also rejected.

Throughout her treatment and despite all the challenges, Bonnie cared for little Henry, as she felt she needed to make the most of all the time she had with him. She could not always keep her head up high during chemotherapy, but she remained strong for her family and built a wonderful, loving relationship with Henry. Henry loves his mother more than anything and is always giving her hugs and kisses. The most terrifying experience for Bonnie was the month-long isolation in the hospital during the stem cell transplant. During this time, she was unable to have any contact with Henry. This was a soul-crushing time for her and equally devastating for Henry.

On January 11, 2024, another PET/CT scan was performed, and it utterly breaks my heart to say that the results still show cancer cells. Further treatment is required for her.

The funds will be used for Adcetris treatment, medical costs not covered by medical aid, and medical expenses arising due to side effects of chemotherapy not covered by medical aid.

The financial impact on the little family would be huge if the funds could be raised, as this would help Bonnie and put her on the road to recovery so that she can watch Henry grow up and keep her family together.

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