Gabby was in a devastating Polokwane crash that left her with severe burns all over her body. With no medical aid, her family needed help. The most incredible flood of love followed.
Polokwane, South Africa (27 October 2026) – On the morning of 16 October, a family’s world was split into before and after.
Gabby was in a car crash at the intersection of Munnik Street and De Wet Drive in Polokwane. Her vehicle was completely destroyed. She was left with severe burns over roughly 90% of her body.
Her father, Craig Rosser, calls it every family’s worst nightmare. There is no preparing a parent for that. Gabby is alive and awake; Craig believes it is a true miracle, but awake means she is present for most of it…
She has been in and out of theatre. In the days after the accident, she spent hours in surgery, and by the time Craig shared an update on 21 October, she had been back in theatre more than once. At that point, plastic surgeons planned to place cadaver skin on her wounds, to give her body time to rest and heal before they reassess.
“When something this tragic happens, fear and worry naturally set in. But as her dad, watching Gabby face every moment of this nightmare has completely humbled me. Her quiet, incredible strength is what is carrying our entire family through.” shares Gabby’s dad.
Craig has had to watch his daughter face every moment of it. When the surgeon sat down to explain the skin grafting procedure, Gabby listened calmly and accepted it with courage.
“She sees the path ahead and is facing it head-on,” he wrote.
Her burns are severe, but her organs are functioning, and she is fighting with tremendous strength. The doctors and ICU nurses keep telling the family how amazed they are by her spirit.
“Her quiet, incredible strength is what is carrying our entire family through,” Craig wrote.
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Craig did what any parent would do. He reached out to family, friends, colleagues and kind-hearted strangers, and asked them to stand with the family during the hardest time of their lives.
Jenny Osborn answered by starting a BackaBuddy campaign called ‘Gabby’s Long Road to Recovery’. That is when the people of Polokwane (and beyond) responded in the most incredible way.
At a time of such darkness, came an outpouring of hope and love.
In 11 days, hundreds of people chipped in toward Gabby’s care. 740, to be exact. Families donated whatever they could afford. Some supporters, who have chosen to remain anonymous, gave up to R40,000.
At the time of writing, R845,891 of the R900,000 goal has been raised on BackaBuddy.
The giving has gone way beyond the campaign page, spilling into the shopfronts, salons and kitchens of the city.
Local businesses are making charity key rings, with the money going to Gabby’s care. Jewellery shops are holding sales and handing over the proceeds. Exercise groups are running classes with the proceeds going to her recovery. Salons are offering blow waves and manicures, and the money from those appointments goes to Gabby too. Locals are baking cupcakes and selling them. Each box brings more support for this brave young lady.
A whole community sees the Rosser family in the worst chapter of their lives, and they’re helping in whatever way they can – a skill, a shop, an oven, an hour of their day.
In his most recent update, Craig spoke directly to everyone who has surrounded the family.
“I want to reach out directly to everyone who has surrounded our family with so much love during this overwhelming time,” he wrote. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every person who has donated, prayed, and held Gabby in their thoughts.”
The road ahead is still long, and the campaign remains open with no end date. If you’d like to donate or share Gabby’s care, you can find the campaign here.
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