Help Ursula kick MDS' butt!

Co-organized

Michael Vivier and Nicole Vivier are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi there!

My name is Nicole, and I'm here to tell my Mom's story!

My mom is the greatest human being on the planet, and anyone who is lucky enough to know her, can attest to this. My mom is selfless and gave up so much to provide the best life for my brother and I! My mom worked abroad for about 10 years, missing birthdays, graduations, and many other special occasions.

In 2022, she came home during her "break", and mentioned that she was feeling short of breath, fatigued, and was having heart palpitations. An appointment was scheduled with her cardiologist, as she assumed that it had something to do with her stents, and this is where it all began...

My mom was sent from the cardiologist to an internist, who finally sent her for a bone marrow biopsy. My mom ended up at a clinical haematologist who said the chilling words that none of us EVER expected, "There's a malignancy and we need to start treating it as soon as possible". My mom was diagnosed with MDS - Myelodysplastic Syndrome. This can be seen as "preleukemia" and affects the production of healthy blood cells.

Immediately, life as we knew it, changed! My mom was not allowed to return to her work abroad, and the medical bills instantly started streaming in. It has been an uphill battle ever since, and my mom has not complained ONCE.

A donor became available, and my mom checked into Pretoria East Hospital the next day, where the grueling process started. Ward 20, Room 9 became HOME for the next few months. It's an isolation room, and once mom was in, she would not be allowed to leave until the process was complete. The windows don't open, and the visitors all have to wear full PPE when visiting.

Mom underwent intense chemotherapy to kill her malfunctioning bone marrow and diseased cells. She faced all the side effects of chemotherapy and having no immune system, alone. The redness, swelling, vomiting, diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and severe pain was almost too much for mom to bear. On top of all of that, she also lost her thick bush of blonde hair in drips and drabs. BUT, being the warrior woman that my mom is, she powered through each day with more strength than the one before.

After chemotherapy, the transplant could take place. It's not exactly how you'd imagine a bone marrow transplant to be, and is administered through an IV.

You'd imagine that we felt immediate relief knowing that she had new, "functioning" bone marrow! That was until we realised how many risks were involved, some of which could be fatal. It was a lot for mom and her loved ones to process. Upon receiving the all-clear from her doctor, we were allowed to take mom home, as long as home was within 20km of the hospital, which “home” wasn't. Mom's friend generously offered her home in Pretoria to mom, and there Mom stayed for a further two months, in isolation, again.

On 12 October 2023, mom was finally allowed to come home to Potchefstroom, where she spent the next few months in "quarantine".

Don't think she lay down and felt sorry for herself though. My mom had made all sorts of plans and in January 2024, when she was free to leave the house safely, she started a new job. Her main concern has always been to provide for her family, although we're all grown up and should be providing for her.

My mom has truly been the ideal bone marrow transplant patient. She followed all the rules, put in all the effort, and the doctors were so chuffed. Weekly blood tests, trips to Pretoria for polygam, regular bone marrow biopsies, the works. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Mom noticed that her skin was starting to bruise again, and then her nose bleeds started. She knew something was wrong. She was in so much pain, severely anaemic and in renal failure, all within a week.

Now, she is going to have to redo this whole process, which means she won't be able to go to work once again. This is where our loved ones come in! I want to alleviate as much of mom's stress as I can, but I really can't do it alone. Your assistance will not only go to sorting debt and medical bills, but also to keep mom afloat while she's unable to work.

The last thing she can afford is for her medical aid to lapse. My mom always goes above and beyond for others, and she has NEVER expected anything in return! This is my mom's third cancer, and I believe she'll kick this one's butt too! We are blessed with an INCREDIBLE support system, and we couldn't be more grateful!