A family rocked by tragedy, just months before a highly anticipated wedding, have rallied to offer some relief to the bride-to-be.
Johannesburg, South Africa – With just two months to her big day, this bride’s world came grinding to a halt when she received a call from her aunt saying that her mother had fallen ill.
Bride-to-be, Roxy Macdougall, left South Africa shortly after graduating high school to follow her dream of working on yachts. She has spent most of her adult life working on oceans across the globe. She has saved every cent she could and came home to visit family at every opportunity.
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Her last trip back to South Africa was marked with heartache, having to attend her late uncle’s funeral. Shortly after landing back home, Roxy was told a second tragedy had struck the family, and her step-father had passed away while she was in the air.
“As she landed in December, her Aunt stood at arrivals with the look of horror on her face; her Step-Father had just committed suicide… shooting himself in her Mom’s driveway.
What followed the next couple of days, weeks and months would be the most difficult time for our Roxy and something that no child should have to go through,” – Cheryl Macdougall, Roxy’s stepmother
The news rocked her, and she knew her mother would need all the help she could get. Her step-father had left behind a lot of debt and Roxy did her best to alleviate the pressure that had landed on her mother’s shoulders. Once everything was sorted, and her mother placed in the care of her aunt, Roxy set off back to work.
Aside from supporting her mother, Roxy had started planning her wedding while in South Africa. She had saved hard for the big day and was excited to have everyone together after all the heartache.
Now, six months later, Roxy got a call that has changed everything.
Her aunt had rushed her mother to the hospital as she had unexplained bleeding from her nose and mouth. Being without medical aid, Roxy’s mother wasn’t getting the expert care needed to diagnose her.
Roxy made the tough choice to divert her saving to get her mother into private care in the hopes of a speedy recovery. Roxy then took an extended leave from work, meaning a loss of income, to be by her mother’s side. In the six weeks since arriving home, her mother’s condition has worsened.
Her mom was initially diagnosed with Portal Hypertension, caused by blood clots in the portal vein, which is blockages of the veins that carry the blood from the liver to the heart. She then had to have her spleen removed, and half her stomach was taken out. The blood clots have failed to stop and are being treated daily as well as treatment for water on the lungs.
Septicemia and pneumonia have now also set in, leaving her mom entirely bed-ridden and attached to life-support machines.
To date, Roxy has depleted all her wedding savings to cover the exorbitant costs of private medical care. She is now faced with the hard choice of going into debt in order to help her mother recover. Her mother is also now too frail to be transferred to a Government facility.
Stressed beyond her limit, heartbroken and watching her wedding dream fade away, her family stepped up to offer help wherever possible. Roxy’s step-mother, Cheryl Macdougall, could no longer watch her daughter struggle with the financial burden and set up a crowdfund on BackaBuddy in the hopes to raise the last of the money needed to cover the outstanding medical expenses.
“It’s been 6-weeks since that call, and Roxy has spent all her savings as well as her time at her Mom’s side. The cost up to this point is well over R600 000, but you cannot put a price on your Mother’s health,” – Cheryl Macdougall, Roxy’s stepmother
With the stress of finding money to cover the costs aside, Roxy can hope to heal and just be there with her mother. The hope is for a full recovery, and as of now, the doctors are optimistic.
Roxy has put her wedding on the back burner until her mother is well. For now, that is where her focus lies and family are making it possible for her to relax a little. They hope the relief will allow Roxy’s fun-loving and happy spirit to blossom once again.
“Right now, we want to make the process easier for Roxy and take some of the stress away; we know that we cannot recoup the money already spent but are hoping to keep her Mother where she is getting the best possible treatment.” – Cheryl Macdougall, Roxy’s stepmother
If you would like to support this brave family through this horrific ordeal, you can donate to their fund here. Every cent will offer relief to the bride-to-be and help mom get back on the mend.
**Update: Sadly Roxy’s mom passed away on the 1 September 2019. Sending Roxy, and all her family and friends our sincerest condolences.
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Roxy has put her wedding on the back burner until her mother is well. For now, that is where her focus lies and family are making it possible for her to relax a little. They hope the relief will allow Roxy’s fun-loving and happy spirit to blossom once again