Tebogo Monama

Tebogo Monama

Felicity Madikane of Kagiso on the West Rand prays every day in the hope that her three-year-old baby, Thandile, will be able to undergo a liver transplant.

Madikane found out that Thandile was sick when she was only six weeks old.

"Her eyes were greenish-yellow," Madikane says. "Her body did not look normal. Her urine was thick and yellow.

"The doctor thought she had jaundice and referred us to a hospital.

"Thandile spent a week in the Leratong Hospital but I was told they could not help her.

"She was transferred to the Coronation Hospital for two weeks before being transferred to Johannesburg General Hospital.

"They also couldn't find out what was wrong with my baby. So they decided to do exploratory stomach surgery.

"That was when they discovered that she does not have a gall bladder and that her liver is dysfunctional."

Madikane cannot afford the liver transplant because she has no medical aid.

"The transplant costs R500000 and I cannot afford that," she says. "Mogale City has tried to assist us by starting a trust fund for Thandile.

"The other problem is that Thandeka's blood type is B, which is very rare. So we have not found a suitable donor.

"Thandile's biggest problem now is that she has nose bleeds and that worries me a lot.

"At the beginning it was hard for me to deal with the fact that she is sick but now I have accepted it," said Madikane.