Juanita Taute Peel is fighting tooth and nail to save her son’s life, he is a 9-year-old boy with a very rare cancer known as Ewing Sarcoma.
Johannesburg, South Africa – Dylan was born 9 years ago and immediately his mother Juanita knew something was wrong. He was a very sickly baby and underwent his first operation at just 3-weeks-old.
He underwent a massive operation to remove a lump of abnormal lung tissue followed by radiation to remove remaining abnormal cells. He developed auto-immune pancreatitis (AIP) at a very young age, which has led to high blood pressure and diabetes.
Things became harder for Dylan and Juanita when he turned 5. This is when he had his first stroke, resulting in difficulty swallowing, gross and fine motor difficulties, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, OCD, depression and temper outbursts.
They received a massive blow when Dylan was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma (cancer) in his jaw at age 6. He has had multiple operations and intensive chemotherapy.
At the age of 7, Dylan still had fecal incontinence and had suffered many bowel obstructions and operations to his bowel. He was finally diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s Disease at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, which explained these symptoms.
Due to his gastrointestinal issues (nausea and pain from obstructions, difficulty swallowing) and post-stroke behavioural change (oral aversion and sensory processing disorder), Dylan failed to thrive and had difficulty eating solids. After another serious bowel obstruction in March 2017, his gastroenterologists saw no other option than inserting a gastric feeding tube directly into his stomach.
Juanita took him to the Pediatric Surgery Department at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital to have the feeding tube surgically placed but the waiting list was 8 months. Desperate, they took him to a private hospital and took out loans to pay for it. The family have sold everything that they can humanly live without but are drowning in debt.
To help pay the bills, keep a roof over their head and so much more. A crowdfund was set up to help Dylan get the care he needs.
The family are registered with the Rare Diseases South Africa organisation as well. They have tried every avenue to help pay for Dylan’s extra needs. This is their last resort.
Any money raised will help them cover food, petrol, medicine bills, specialist, doctor and therapy visits, as well as help, pay off some of the loans they have taken out. They will also help supply him with nappies, special formula needed for his feeds and replacement tubing.
“Sometimes donating can feel overwhelming because the amounts needed are so big but never forget that every R1 counts, and if you can assist with just a small amount, and others do the same then this mom and her son will be in a much better place” – Brent Lindeque
The fund will help Juanita make sure her son’s life is the best quality it can be. If you would like to support Dylan’s medical fund, you can do so here.
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