Community support sought for health stricken pastor

A Somerset West local is calling on the broader Helderberg community to unite behind a raffle in hopes of affording a life-changing difference.

Kelderhof resident Minki Fourie has organised a raffle with R30 000 worth of prizes to raise funds for her beloved father’s critical cancer treatment.

According to Fourie, every R100 and R200 ticket sold will contribute to her father’s immunotherapy for Epithelioid Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Sarcoma (EIMS), a devastatingly rare cancer affecting only 55 people globally.

She further shared that the initial tumour, a large and complex mass attached to her father’s lung and back, picked up on a CT scan, required surgery. Sadly, regrowth six weeks post-operation necessitated treatment. However, due to the rarity of the disease and lack of established guidelines medical-aid coverage is denied, leaving the family to bear the significant costs.

“Seeing my father in a desperate situation, knowing his life-saving medication for his extremely rare disease was financially unattainable (R82 000 every three weeks for 18 infusions), I felt compelled to act. I wanted to offer hope and rally community support. The power of a united community is truly remarkable. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer without treatment. I also aim to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with rare diseases, whose medical aids often deny coverage for expensive treatments due to cost considerations.”

Crowdfunding campaign

Driven by gratitude for the support gauged via an online crowdfunding campaign and seeking a fresh fundraising approach, Fourie launched the raffle. “Asking for donations is challenging and offering great prizes as part of a giveaway seemed a more inclusive way to reach a wider audience,” she pointed out.

She related how the prizes were secured. “A close school friend, known for her caring nature, helped secure fantastic prizes for the raffle, sponsored by her and other friends of hers. My brother and I also contributed two prizes, as we are deeply involved in our father’s journey and want the raffle to succeed. With professional help we also set up a raffle website and a YOCO payment portal, supported by user-friendly apps.”

The website, where tickets are available for purchase, will do an automatic draw after the raffle deadline, which is Monday 31 March at 17:00. There will be two draws: one for the most prizes and number two specifically for a kudu hunt.

A ticket could win supporters:

• A weekend getaway at Copia Eco Cabins in Botrivier (valued at R5 000);

• A kudu hunt in Beaufort West, including two nights’ accommodation (valued at R15 000; R200 per ticket);

• A Fieldbar Drinksbar (valued at R2 400);

• A Saltri gift hamper (valued at R1 000);

• Six bottles of Simonsig bubbly (valued at R1 200);

• A Limoncello hamper (valued at R1 300);

• Two Fanel wine glass boxes;

• A Stanley The Legendary Classic Bottle 1.0L (valued at R1 600);

• A Leatherman Bond multipurpose tool (valued at R2 030); and

• A LED Lenser P4R Core Pen Light (valued at R1 065).

Immensely grateful

Addressing the potential consequences should her father not be able to continue the treatments, Fourie said: “After extensive testing, immunotherapy emerged as his only viable option. Unfortunately, medical aids currently do not recognise this treatment, and mainstream radiation and chemotherapy are ineffective.

“This created a daunting and uncertain future. I am immensely grateful for the support that has allowed my father to continue this medication. Remarkably, the second tumour, which developed after the initial surgery, is shrinking with this treatment. Following four infusions we observed a 26% reduction in size, demonstrating the medication’s efficacy.

“My father recently received his seventh infusion, and we are praying that the tumour will be eradicated after the eighth. We can conduct a scan after the eighth infusion. Initially, the oncologist recommended 18 infusions.”

The crowdfunding campaign, entitled “Get Barry to 18 bags of immunotherapy”, remains active, providing regular updates on his progress.
By Monday (24 March), R447 450 of the goal amount, R1 440 000, has been raised.

Fourie further shared that while the journey to recovery is emotionally overwhelming for her father, he is doing really well physically.

“He has only minor side-effects from the treatment, such as being tired and mild skin irritation. But his quality of life is very good concerning the circumstances.”

Fourie conveyed the following word of encouragement to the supportive community: “My dad is such a caring and loving person in his community. As a reverend (now retired) he served all the communities he lived in, with such compassion over the years, always giving time and care to people in need, most of the time at his own expense. I would love more people to rally around him and show him a bit of love and support in return.”

 To support the raffle, visit https://helpsupportbarry.site/.