Sarah's Struggle
Donation protected
‘You will not see your sacredness within you, if you do not see it in others’
UPDATE: 11/12/2021. I am so thankful that we have reached the goal of raising the funds required for the surgery Sarah requires. I are now striving to raise as much a possible to financially support Sarah with her lifelong battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Sjogrens disease and all the other complications Sarah has from suffering from a chronic auto-immune disease. The medical costs Sarah incurs to manage her illness do not stop at the campaign total, so please know that any donation to reach the campaign total and beyond will go towards Sarah's long term medical care.
Sarah, myself and the rest of our family are so grateful and humbled by the kindness and generosity we receive.
My sister Sarah has Rheumatoid Arthritis, My sister has Sjogrens disease, My sister has Osteoporosis.
Sarah has spent the last 18 years in South Africa following her vocation, her path of caring for, counselling and healing people, having learned and embraced traditional Zulu practices under the guidance of Zulu elders.
In her local community, she and Muvo (her partner and fellow healer) are vital. They have helped so many people, from counselling and advising, to giving emergency help in times of crisis. Sarah is passionate about working to protect and preserve the indigenous environment and has actively participated is raising awareness of its vulnerability.
Not only does Sarah help her local community but also people overseas…and she has always been the person who looks out for me.
Sarah has been battling Rheumatoid Arthritis for ten years. The list of complications due to RA that Sarah has to live with is long, and the traumas she has experienced due to osteoporosis are many.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a complicated disease. For Sarah, apart from the degeneration and acute pain you might expect when you hear the word Arthritis, for her, it has also weakened her soft tissues, blood vessels and veins, making her even more fragile.
Sjogrens disease means she doesn’t produce tears or saliva, her eyes and mouth are at constant risk of infection, Sarah must put drops in her eyes every few minutes to improve discomfort that never ceases, her teeth and jaw bones are degrading and she needs invasive treatment to try and save what is left.
Her inability to be active and some of the pain medication required for RA has left Sarah with acute Osteoporosis.
None of what Sarah endures has stopped her fighting and she has always found the strength to keep going, to keep counselling, caring and healing others.
Sarah needs our help.
2020 has been an extremely difficult year for Sarah, at the beginning of May she fell and the top of her Femur. What should have been straightforward surgery and one week in hospital turned in to a nightmare. In total she had three surgeries and a close call with death.
Thankfully after 5 weeks completely alone in hospital (due to COVID restrictions), she could return home.
Sarah’s recovery is slow and hindered by acute RA flare ups which have halted physio, as she battles to get her Rheumatoid Arthritis under control.
To add insult to all she already has to bear, she noticed acute back pain at the beginning of October. Consultations, X-rays and CT scans revealed Sarah has a compression fracture in the bottom of her spine and evidence that she has had multiple fractures in her vertebrae in the past.
Sarah needs urgent surgery. This is non-negotiable. There is a very short window of opportunity to get it done. If she does not, she will have months of being totally immobile and her back will not heal the way it should, leaving her with increased restricted mobility and at risk of further collapse in her spine. Her immobility will increase already acute RA pain and her muscles will waste further.
The surgery required is a Kyphoplasty (an injection of cement into the vertebrae). The cost of this is R230000, that is around £11000.
Sarah has no medical insurance or the luxury of the NHS, South African government hospitals do not carry out the surgery required, and because of Sarah’s Osteoporosis, the alternative government option is not viable.
She urgently needs to see a Rheumatologist to help tackle her long-term care and ensure the Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment has no further detrimental side effects to her bone density.
I so wish myself or my immediate family had the money to give Sarah to cover these costs, but we don’t.
Therefore, I have set up this crowdfunding appeal to try and raise the money for the surgery and beyond. I am asking if anyone can donate, to please do so, even just a little, in the hope that we can help Sarah through the next surgery without complications and to give her the ability to afford the help needed for recovery, remove some of the worry about what the future brings with mounting medical costs and this chronic disease.
Please know that Sarah’s and my gratitude is abundant, all monies gifted will go towards Sarah’s long-term management of this hideous disease. Sarah is still fighting, and her wish is to be able to be well enough to continue her work.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen. Please share this campaign and the hashtag #sarahsstruggle so we can reach out to as many people as possible.
Much love Cath and Sarah.
UPDATE: 11/12/2021. I am so thankful that we have reached the goal of raising the funds required for the surgery Sarah requires. I are now striving to raise as much a possible to financially support Sarah with her lifelong battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Sjogrens disease and all the other complications Sarah has from suffering from a chronic auto-immune disease. The medical costs Sarah incurs to manage her illness do not stop at the campaign total, so please know that any donation to reach the campaign total and beyond will go towards Sarah's long term medical care.
Sarah, myself and the rest of our family are so grateful and humbled by the kindness and generosity we receive.
My sister Sarah has Rheumatoid Arthritis, My sister has Sjogrens disease, My sister has Osteoporosis.
Sarah has spent the last 18 years in South Africa following her vocation, her path of caring for, counselling and healing people, having learned and embraced traditional Zulu practices under the guidance of Zulu elders.
In her local community, she and Muvo (her partner and fellow healer) are vital. They have helped so many people, from counselling and advising, to giving emergency help in times of crisis. Sarah is passionate about working to protect and preserve the indigenous environment and has actively participated is raising awareness of its vulnerability.
Not only does Sarah help her local community but also people overseas…and she has always been the person who looks out for me.
Sarah has been battling Rheumatoid Arthritis for ten years. The list of complications due to RA that Sarah has to live with is long, and the traumas she has experienced due to osteoporosis are many.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a complicated disease. For Sarah, apart from the degeneration and acute pain you might expect when you hear the word Arthritis, for her, it has also weakened her soft tissues, blood vessels and veins, making her even more fragile.
Sjogrens disease means she doesn’t produce tears or saliva, her eyes and mouth are at constant risk of infection, Sarah must put drops in her eyes every few minutes to improve discomfort that never ceases, her teeth and jaw bones are degrading and she needs invasive treatment to try and save what is left.
Her inability to be active and some of the pain medication required for RA has left Sarah with acute Osteoporosis.
None of what Sarah endures has stopped her fighting and she has always found the strength to keep going, to keep counselling, caring and healing others.
Sarah needs our help.
2020 has been an extremely difficult year for Sarah, at the beginning of May she fell and the top of her Femur. What should have been straightforward surgery and one week in hospital turned in to a nightmare. In total she had three surgeries and a close call with death.
Thankfully after 5 weeks completely alone in hospital (due to COVID restrictions), she could return home.
Sarah’s recovery is slow and hindered by acute RA flare ups which have halted physio, as she battles to get her Rheumatoid Arthritis under control.
To add insult to all she already has to bear, she noticed acute back pain at the beginning of October. Consultations, X-rays and CT scans revealed Sarah has a compression fracture in the bottom of her spine and evidence that she has had multiple fractures in her vertebrae in the past.
Sarah needs urgent surgery. This is non-negotiable. There is a very short window of opportunity to get it done. If she does not, she will have months of being totally immobile and her back will not heal the way it should, leaving her with increased restricted mobility and at risk of further collapse in her spine. Her immobility will increase already acute RA pain and her muscles will waste further.
The surgery required is a Kyphoplasty (an injection of cement into the vertebrae). The cost of this is R230000, that is around £11000.
Sarah has no medical insurance or the luxury of the NHS, South African government hospitals do not carry out the surgery required, and because of Sarah’s Osteoporosis, the alternative government option is not viable.
She urgently needs to see a Rheumatologist to help tackle her long-term care and ensure the Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment has no further detrimental side effects to her bone density.
I so wish myself or my immediate family had the money to give Sarah to cover these costs, but we don’t.
Therefore, I have set up this crowdfunding appeal to try and raise the money for the surgery and beyond. I am asking if anyone can donate, to please do so, even just a little, in the hope that we can help Sarah through the next surgery without complications and to give her the ability to afford the help needed for recovery, remove some of the worry about what the future brings with mounting medical costs and this chronic disease.
Please know that Sarah’s and my gratitude is abundant, all monies gifted will go towards Sarah’s long-term management of this hideous disease. Sarah is still fighting, and her wish is to be able to be well enough to continue her work.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen. Please share this campaign and the hashtag #sarahsstruggle so we can reach out to as many people as possible.
Much love Cath and Sarah.
Organiser
Catherine Turp
Organiser