For the first time in two years, Heather Botha asked her mom to put up the Christmas tree, because she finally had something to celebrate — she was going to receive the treatment she so badly needs to put an end to her debilitating pain.
And it is mostly because of the generosity of others — some of them total strangers from as far as the US.
Heather, 14, starts treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in the US on February 1.
The young Port Elizabeth girl was diagnosed with the rare condition in June 2018.
It first presented itself as a sore hand, but quickly progressed into a pain which has rendered her bedridden for most of the day.
The pain is characterised by experts as being more painful than childbirth and has been known to drive some sufferers to the brink of death.
Heather’s mom, Hayleigh Botha, had pinned her hopes on Dr Katinka van der Merwe, a specialist in Arkansas, who treats patients all over the world using her proven neurologic recovery plan.
But to get there was going to be a costly exercise, one the Botha family simply could not afford.
On October 1, after seeing her daughter take a turn for the worse, Botha, 34, ramped up her fundraising efforts.
“I could no longer bare to see my child in pain. Enough was enough, and I was determined to get her to Dr Van der Merwe,” she said.
Beauty pageants, raffles sponsored by the public and various lucky draws started putting a dent in her target of half a million rand , but it simply was not enough.
However, as Heather’s story spread, more and more people started coming forward with pledges to donate.
A challenge by a Port Elizabeth woman, for each of the more than 1,600 followers of the Hope 4 Heather Facebook page to donate R100, ended up being the biggest success of them all.
“I just kept seeing people saying ‘challenge accepted’, it was truly wonderful,” Botha said.
“People always remark how cruel the world is, but I have honestly seen a different side to the world; one filled with caring and kind people.
“It is not only about the money, it is the messages of support, the prayers and visits.”
Heather’s treatment will be vigorous, but the family are confident it will be worth it.
They managed to raise, together with a personal loan, in excess of R200,000; enough to put a deposit down on the three-month treatment.
The Botha girls will quarantine for 16 days in the US before Heather checks in for treatment at the Spero Clinic.
While most teenagers her age have bicycles, pretty dresses and fancy holidays on their Christmas wish list, all Heather wants is to be able to return to school and lead a normal life — and that all seems possible now, thanks to Port Elizabeth’s little elves.
HeraldLIVE
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