Yamkela Seplan, 14, who made headlines earlier in 2023 after developing an enormous lump on her upper arm, has died.
There were rumours the lump, about the size of a soccer ball, had appeared after she was vaccinated against Covid-19, but doctors diagnosed her with a rare form of bone cancer.
Yamkela pleaded for the lump to be removed or for her arm to be amputated, but died before any procedures could be done. She did receive chemotherapy.
The Tina Falls villager dropped out of school in grade 8 at Shawbury High School as her condition worsened.
The children’s rights activist Petros Majola, director of the Khula Community Development Project, has been vocal in demanding justice for Yamkela and getting answers from the provincial health department.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Majola said Yamkela had died at Sulenkama Hospital in Qumbu on Monday.
“Everybody is devastated by this news. Her heart was set on going back to school so that she could eventually have a tertiary qualification to change the status quo of her needy home.
“We thank all members of the public and efforts by the health department, doctors, and nurses at Frere Hospital, Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, and Sulenkama to try to save Yamkela,” Majola said.
The family have financial constraints so the date of the funeral is not yet known.
Yamkela first noticed a small lump after receiving a Covid-19 jab, which led some people to believe the lump had been caused by the vaccination.
“But a team of specialist doctors called the family to a meeting, reporting that this lump was not caused by the vaccination, but by a rare bone cancer,” said Majola.
Majola said he believed the medical profession could have dealt with her condition better.
“I still maintain that had the Department of Health acted swiftly, the child would still be alive.
“I understand that she was initially not in favour of amputation when it was first suggested.
“But chemotherapy could have been effective if the child had been treated immediately and not, as was the case, spent a number of days at Bedford Orthopaedic Hospital, where she was not treated.”
She was later admitted to Frere Hospital in East London in February and then transferred to Sulenkama in Qumbu to be closer to her family.
“There was a plan she would go back to Frere for the removal of the lump or amputation of the arm, but unfortunately, she died before that.”
When a Dispatch team visited Yamkela at her home in February, she was lying on a mattress, crying in pain inside a clean, sparsely furnished thatched rondavel.
Yamkela had said: “The lump which was first small like a pimple is now bigger than a soccer ball and is still growing day by day.
“All I want is medical help ... I am ready for doctors to amputate my arm now so that I can be free of pain and go back to school.”
The skin over the lump had split in places, with open wounds increasing the risk of infection.
“It is very painful and I am losing weight while the lump becomes bigger and bigger. My health is deteriorating. I cry every day.”
She would have turned 15 on June 16.
Health department spokesperson Yonela Dekeda said Yamkela was treated by a multidisciplinary team of doctors including oncologists, specialists nurses and social workers.
“Following her diagnosis, the family was counselled extensively about her prognosis. Redress was also organised for the family at Frere Hospital, explaining the response from the pharmacovigilance team that there was no correlation of her disease and the Covid-19 vaccination.
“In addition, the department organised her a social worker to escort her in ensuring that she never misses her follow-up treatment appointments. The department is shocked and saddened by her passing, as the patient was thought to be responding well to treatment. We are sending our heartfelt condolences to the family,” he said.
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.