How Pirates and Thembinkosi Lorch made a very ill teen's dream come true

Orlando Pirates and their star player, Thembinkosi Lorch, have helped young fan Happy Tswangae, who is suffering from a rare disease, achieve his dream. 

The 13-year-old from Potchefstroom is battling incurable systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease which causes the immune system to attack body tissue. 

The young Bucs fans is a big admirer of Bafana Bafana star Lorch and his greatest wish was to meet his idol. 

With help from the Reach for a Dream Foundation, Tswangae got more than he bargained for though — he didn’t just meet Lorch, but watched the entire Pirates team train at Rand Stadium in Johannesburg. 

Tswangae’s father, Thabo Mosete, said for his son to meet Pirates players he had only seen on television was an inspiration and much-needed motivation to continue fighting his illness: 

“Even though we do not have much, Reach for a Dream has encouraged us to believe anything is possible. Happy works hard to achieve his dreams, so him being here will boost his morale and let him know that in life you can make it despite your condition,” Mosete said. 

After the training session, Tswangae was invited onto the field to meet the team and shake hands with Lorch. 

Leaving the pitch, he received a round of applause from the players and coaching staff in recognition of the warrior he is for staying positive and strong despite his illness. 

Pirates media officer Thandi Merafe said the club was honoured to fulfil Tswangae’s greatest wish. 

“From what we have seen, he is an incredibly resilient young man with a bright future ahead of him. We hope his time spent with the team has inspired him to believe that dreams do come true,” Merafe said. 

Reach for a Dream CEO Julia Sotirianakos said magical moments like these are what the organisation strives to create to inspire children with life-threatening illnesses, helping them to regain some of their childhood in the midst of their battles. 

“But more than anything else, what truly makes this experience special is how fulfilled dreams stir up much-needed courage and hope, helping these little ones believe that tomorrow is worth fighting for,” she said.

Lorch recently made a comeback from injury and is expected to play a pivotal role in helping the Buccaneers qualify for the Caf Champions League by finishing in the top two in the DStv Premiership and win the Nedbank Cup. 

Pirates are set to host Motsepe Foundation Championship side Venda Football Academy in a Nedbank Cup fight at Soweto's Orlando Stadium on Saturday (8pm) for a spot in the quarterfinals.