Hanru’s Miracle
Donation protected
On Sunday 10 January, Hanru Pienaar, aged 13, complained about a headache and started to throw up. His mother, Lizette Liversage Pienaar, a single mother of two from Johannesburg, South Africa, tried administering oral pain and nausea medication, but he kept throwing up. She then gave him a suppository, which made him feel better and he went to bed. At around eleven o’clock at night, Hanru’s aunt, Juanita Pienaar and his mother went to check om him and found that he had thrown up in his bed. Soon after that, they rushed him to the nearest hospital.
When they arrived at the hospital, the emergency staff at Waterfall Netcare private hospital in Johannesburg, concluded that the symptoms sounded similar to meningitis. They requested to send him for urgent tests, but they could not admit Hanru, as the family did not have a private medical plan. Lizette lost her job in March last year, due to the lockdown implemented to fight Covid-19 and could not afford the monthly instalments of the private medical plan. She and her two sons also live with her sister, Juanita, as she could not afford rent on her own.
The hospital then frantically phoned all of the public hospitals in the area to get Hanru admitted to a hospital as soon as possible, but no public hospital was in the position to take him in, as they reached full capacity due to Covid-19 patients.
Lizette and Juanita contacted all their close family members and asked them to help them raise enough funds to admit Hanru to the private hospital, as they knew meningitis is life threatening and they had to act fast. Their family managed to raise enough money to get Hanru admitted.
As the doctors ran tests they found that Hanru had a brain haemorrhage. This came as a complete shock to Lizette and Juanita, as Hanru had no head trauma incident earlier that day. The doctor told Lizette it could have been the result of an old injury. He also advised that Hanru needed urgent brain surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain, but the costs involved to do the procedure would be substantial. They gave the doctor the approval to do the procedure as needed, while not knowing where they would get the funds to pay for the medical bill.
Before the operation could commence, the doctor sent Hanru for more tests and they discovered that Hanru had a growth next to his right kidney. This was causing Hanru’s high blood pressure which resulted in the haemorrhage. At last they discovered the root of the problem. The doctor advised Lizette that they will have to remove the tumour as soon as possible. They also approved this procedure to go ahead as needed, knowing that this would add to the medical bill.
During this time, the pressure kept building up in Hanru’s head and he went in for emergency brain surgery on 12 January to relieve it. Fortunately the operation was successful and he has been under sedation and connected to a ventilator since then. The doctors are planning to remove the tumour as soon as possible and they are all working together to make sure Hanru has a full recovery.
Just before this incident Lizette and Juanita’s mother, Joyce Pienaar, was diagnosed with stomach cancer and Lizette’s best friend passed away from breast cancer 3 weeks before. Lizette is in a very fragile state at the moment, which is understandable given the circumstances. It will be of great assistance if Lizette’s financial concerns about Hanru’s medical bills could be alleviated in some way, in order for her to focus on the recovery of her young child. If any donations could be made towards Hanru’s medical bills, it will certainly make their life much easier.
When they arrived at the hospital, the emergency staff at Waterfall Netcare private hospital in Johannesburg, concluded that the symptoms sounded similar to meningitis. They requested to send him for urgent tests, but they could not admit Hanru, as the family did not have a private medical plan. Lizette lost her job in March last year, due to the lockdown implemented to fight Covid-19 and could not afford the monthly instalments of the private medical plan. She and her two sons also live with her sister, Juanita, as she could not afford rent on her own.
The hospital then frantically phoned all of the public hospitals in the area to get Hanru admitted to a hospital as soon as possible, but no public hospital was in the position to take him in, as they reached full capacity due to Covid-19 patients.
Lizette and Juanita contacted all their close family members and asked them to help them raise enough funds to admit Hanru to the private hospital, as they knew meningitis is life threatening and they had to act fast. Their family managed to raise enough money to get Hanru admitted.
As the doctors ran tests they found that Hanru had a brain haemorrhage. This came as a complete shock to Lizette and Juanita, as Hanru had no head trauma incident earlier that day. The doctor told Lizette it could have been the result of an old injury. He also advised that Hanru needed urgent brain surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain, but the costs involved to do the procedure would be substantial. They gave the doctor the approval to do the procedure as needed, while not knowing where they would get the funds to pay for the medical bill.
Before the operation could commence, the doctor sent Hanru for more tests and they discovered that Hanru had a growth next to his right kidney. This was causing Hanru’s high blood pressure which resulted in the haemorrhage. At last they discovered the root of the problem. The doctor advised Lizette that they will have to remove the tumour as soon as possible. They also approved this procedure to go ahead as needed, knowing that this would add to the medical bill.
During this time, the pressure kept building up in Hanru’s head and he went in for emergency brain surgery on 12 January to relieve it. Fortunately the operation was successful and he has been under sedation and connected to a ventilator since then. The doctors are planning to remove the tumour as soon as possible and they are all working together to make sure Hanru has a full recovery.
Just before this incident Lizette and Juanita’s mother, Joyce Pienaar, was diagnosed with stomach cancer and Lizette’s best friend passed away from breast cancer 3 weeks before. Lizette is in a very fragile state at the moment, which is understandable given the circumstances. It will be of great assistance if Lizette’s financial concerns about Hanru’s medical bills could be alleviated in some way, in order for her to focus on the recovery of her young child. If any donations could be made towards Hanru’s medical bills, it will certainly make their life much easier.
Organizer
Niel Jansen Van Rensburg
Organizer
El Cajon, CA
