KOPANO MONAHENG
Thousands of South Africans continue to face serious healthcare challenges, particularly families caring for children living with life-threatening illnesses.
Every day, and in some cases every week, parents travel long distances to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Gauteng to access specialised medical services that are not available in their provincial hospitals.
Dr Nkuli Boikhutso CEO at Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, thanked Reach For A Dream Foundation for making sure that children who are living with dreadful illnesses in South Africa and the rest of the African continent get the best medical help at their hospital. The foundation was also yesterday celebrating 38 years of saving lives.
“We celebrate 38 years, we know how tough it is to run an NGO, but you keep going Julia, you your whole team. So please continue to choose us, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital,” said Nkuli.
While the medical care is essential, the financial burden on these families is enormous. Transport, accommodation and daily living expenses quickly add up, putting many households under severe strain.
For breastfeeding mothers, the challenge is even greater, as they must remain close to their children to ensure they continue receiving the nutrition and care throughout their treatment.
A visibly happy Julia Sotirianakos, CEO of Reach For A Dream, told Ezimtoti News: “We are almost four decades, which is nearly 40,” she said.
“And we couldn’t have done it without the love and support that we get from our beautiful hospitals across the country, all our volunteers, our board members, our staff members that put all these wonderful days together.
“And why do we do this for 38 years? We do it because of our beautiful children. And every single day when we wake up that is our purpose to know that we are fulfilling dreams for children with life-threatening illnesses,” concluded Julia.
