4-year-old Naledi Thahanyane needs a life-saving heart surgery so a volunteer at the haven where she lives started a crowdfund to cover the costs.
Johannesburg, South Africa (04 November 2020) – At just 6-months-old, Naledi Thahanyane was dropped off at the Juno Aurora Haven, a home for abused and neglected children in Sandton. She was underdeveloped and needed some care to thrive.
“When we met little Naledi, she was tiny and underdeveloped. With healthy food, love and encouragement, we have seen her blossom into the princess she is today. She is such a vibrant, inquisitive, busy and loving child. She steals the hearts of everyone who meets her” -says Melody Eggar, a volunteer at Juno Aurora Haven.
After 6 months of getting her healthy, Naledi was taken for a check-up with a paediatrician. During the check-up, it was discovered that Naledi had a heart defect. They detected a growth below her left aorta. It was a devastating blow to the carers and volunteers who had been caring for her.
Now, three years since her diagnosis, Naledi needs life-saving heart surgery. They initially had to wait for the growth to grow. They needed it to be a manageable size before operating. Naledi has gone in for regular check-ups and 6 months ago, they were able to determine that it is finally big enough to operate safely.
Naledi’s surgery is been booked for December. Melody Eggar set up a crowdfund to raise the money needed for Naledi’s care.
“While the full cost of Naledi’s surgery and recovery is still to be confirmed, we have set our fundraising target at R100 000 in the meantime, to cover the costs of her operation, medication, medical supplies, sterilization equipment as well as a home nurse.”
“Over the past few weeks, Naledi has been tiring more easily and sleeping more than usual. We are doing our best to keep her safe and keep her spirits up. We know that without this operation, she won’t be with us for her next birthday, and that’s too difficult to contemplate. We hope the public will support our BackaBuddy campaign so we can save our little earth angel” – says Melody
You can support Naledi via BackaBuddy here.