Professional photographer Devin Lester has joined the fundraising efforts to get Zoey Da Silva’s lifesaving treatment overseas; he is hosting a raffle and giving away a photo shoot to the winner.
Johannesburg, South Africa (13 March 2023) – We recently shared the heartbreaking news that Zoey Da Silva had relapsed after a lengthy battle against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and finally, a year in remission. Her friends and family have been rallying to raise the funds needed for her to do a specialised treatment that is currently only available internationally.
Zoey was diagnosed on 31 Dec 2020 with ALL at the age of seven. Her mother Melissa created a page called The Zoey Grace Fund where she raised awareness, rallied for blood and bone marrow donors and shared updates about Zoey’s progress.
Zoey’s story has inspired thousands and since her relapse, Melissa has been overcome by the support being sent via the community. Thousands of well-wishers have been donating to the special fund which will cover the high cost of her next treatment.
“Considering that her relapse happened over a year post-transplant, we are extremely concerned that even if we do proceed with a second, relapse may continue to occur and will become exponentially riskier if it does. We are therefore aiming for the best possible option which is CAR-T Cell Therapy overseas.
This is only done in a handful of countries across the world and comes at a hefty cost – of which medical aid will only fund a very small portion. The most affordable option is performed in Israel at a minimum cost of $100,000 (roughly R1.8M) which is the first goal right now.” – Melissa Da Silva
To date, they have managed to raise 50% of the funds needed, but time is running out. Devin Lester, a professional photographer based in Johannesburg, reached out to help the family raise funds. He is donating a photoshoot to the value of R7,000, as a raffle prize.
Devin has hoped to raise R20,000 for Zoey’s fund and so far, has reached R10,000. He is selling his raffle tickets for R100 each and a winner will be chosen by Friday, the 17th of March 2023. The winner can select either a family shoot or a business shoot, depending on their needs.
The incentive of winning a photoshoot has meant many more people are contributing towards Zoey’s fund and learning about her story for the first time.
If you would like to enter to win, you can use the QR codes in the images below or the Snapscan link provided. Please be sure to use your name and surname as the reference so your entry is valid.
Enter here: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/IqgwyXfH