{"id":66454,"date":"2025-04-17T12:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T10:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=66454"},"modified":"2025-04-17T15:38:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T13:38:49","slug":"jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"JBay mother’s desperate appeal for life-changing surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jeffreys Bay mother, Tunita Brits, is fighting to breathe normally again after years of suffering from severe nasal complications that have dramatically impacted her quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is now reaching out to the community through a BackaBuddy campaign to fund essential reconstructive surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brits explained that she first noticed the growth in her nose during her childhood years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it wasn’t until she reached her 20s that she finally underwent surgery to have it removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the growth did not reappear, her nasal passages became blocked again just six months after the procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After my nose was blocked again, I decided to just live with it because the thought of going through that surgery again was unbearable. It always bothered me, but once I had kids, it felt impossible to find the time for another major surgery. Between looking after them and juggling daily life, it just never seemed like the right time,” said Brits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that although she had accepted her condition for many years, she recently experienced a significant change that left her with no alternative but to seek a medical examination of her nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m constantly short of breath, struggling to breathe, and feeling frustrated and exhausted. I’m not getting quality sleep, which makes me grumpy and irritable, which is not ideal for me or my kids. The daily facial discomfort doesn’t help either, and honestly, there are times when I’m just snappy and not my best self. It’s been tough, and I just want to feel normal again, because emotionally I am just down and not feeling myself at all,” said Brits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After going through the lengthy process of meeting with multiple doctors, she learnt that the growth was no longer there, but that her entire nasal bone structure was misaligned, completely blocking her airways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brits said that she was informed that the misalignment was likely caused by her previous surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After meeting with Dr Sarel van Staden in George, she was referred to Dr Cameron McIntosh, based at Edge Day Hospital in Gqeberha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Edge Day Hospital website, McIntosh is a rhinoplasty and otolaryngology specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brits said that meeting McIntosh and his colleagues was an amazing experience as they explained everything to her in full detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“All this time I was thinking that only one side was blocked, but it’s apparently both sides. I will have total reconstruction of the nose including reconstruction of my nasal septum and my nasal pyramid. Then there is plastic surgery involved to also make sure that the aesthetics of my nose are nice and that my nose is not so skewed anymore. I still have to live with this nose, so it somewhat has to look okay,” said Brits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since she lacks both medical aid and the enormous funds needed for the surgery, she has established a BackaBuddy campaign titled, “Please help me breathe again, urgent surgery needed”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Most people will probably be surprised when they learn about these difficulties that I struggle with daily, as I simply always try and keep it together. However, I found myself in a place and space where I simply don’t even have the energy to keep it together anymore,” said Brits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My quality of life is not great at the moment and that’s why I started my campaign to reach out to people for help. So that I can simply live a full life with my kids.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brits said that after the surgery she will be able to breathe properly which will be a big change in her everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It will be life-changing for me to simply be able to breathe properly through my nose. It will make life easier. I might want to even start exercising as it’s a struggle for me now, and finally I will get a good night’s rest,” said Brits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information contact Tunita Brits at 071 589 2366 or visit the BackaBuddy website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeffreys Bay’s mother, Tunita Brits, is fighting to breathe normally again after years of suffering from severe nasal complications that have dramatically impacted her quality of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":66455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"4","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Tunita Brits with her daughters Anna and Fia. PHOTO: SUPPLIED","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["rpSurgery_P1"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7902,88,1],"tags":[7904,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-66454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-features","category-news","tag-local-stories","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nJBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jeffreys Bay's mother, Tunita Brits, is fighting to breathe normally again after years of suffering from severe nasal complications that have dramatically impacted her quality of life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Razaan Plaatjies\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46799af196954d0db37033d2e34be364\"},\"headline\":\"JBay mother’s desperate appeal for life-changing surgery\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":674,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Local Stories\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Features\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/\",\"name\":\"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"Tunita Brits with her daughters Anna and Fia.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"JBay mother’s desperate appeal for life-changing surgery\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46799af196954d0db37033d2e34be364\",\"name\":\"Razaan Plaatjies\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Razaan Plaatjies\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/razaan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery | Kouga Express","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery","og_description":"Jeffreys Bay's mother, Tunita Brits, is fighting to breathe normally again after years of suffering from severe nasal complications that have dramatically impacted her quality of life.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Razaan Plaatjies","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Razaan Plaatjies","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/"},"author":{"name":"Razaan Plaatjies","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46799af196954d0db37033d2e34be364"},"headline":"JBay mother’s desperate appeal for life-changing surgery","datePublished":"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/"},"wordCount":674,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","keywords":["Local Stories","Top"],"articleSection":["Community","Features","News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/","name":"JBay mother's desperate appeal for life-changing surgery | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-04-17T10:59:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-17T13:38:49+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","width":1200,"height":1600,"caption":"Tunita Brits with her daughters Anna and Fia."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jbay-mothers-desperate-appeal-for-life-changing-surgery\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"JBay mother’s desperate appeal for life-changing surgery"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/46799af196954d0db37033d2e34be364","name":"Razaan Plaatjies","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c49653218b0fdc0e41c8e1a7bc795c30041c2c2aa33ea7fd5f3e84458efc2d5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Razaan Plaatjies"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/razaan\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WhatsAppImage2025-04_12700.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51902,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/pageant-friends-in-international-finals-20201007-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":0},"title":"Pageant friends in international finals","author":"Kouga Express","date":"8 October 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"CLOSE friends, Tiffany Maclean (21) and Shannon Brits (17) from Humansdorp, who have supported each other in previous pageants, are both in the finals of the International Junior Miss South Africa.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a2afb63128d44315b6d5c4bc78724235.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a2afb63128d44315b6d5c4bc78724235.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a2afb63128d44315b6d5c4bc78724235.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a2afb63128d44315b6d5c4bc78724235.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45331,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/jeffreys-bay-squash-club-shines-at-doubles-competition-20240228\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":1},"title":"Jeffreys Bay Squash Club shines at doubles competition","author":"Kouga Express","date":"29 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Local Jeffreys Bay squash players, Sven van Rie and Andries de Ridder, were runners-up in the 45C division of the annual Invitational St Francis Doubles Squash Tournament which took place from February 15 to 17 at the St Francis Bay Squash Club.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/19f48e1e999f4cfebe9aa8f3ab773c62.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/19f48e1e999f4cfebe9aa8f3ab773c62.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/19f48e1e999f4cfebe9aa8f3ab773c62.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/19f48e1e999f4cfebe9aa8f3ab773c62.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/19f48e1e999f4cfebe9aa8f3ab773c62.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51476,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/little-yadah-receives-pain-relief-through-chiropractor-sessions-20210127-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":2},"title":"Little Yadah receives pain relief through chiropractor sessions","author":"Kouga Express","date":"28 January 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"WHILE he waits for his vital surgery, Yadah Rayle Prins (2), from Jeffreys Bay, who, while still in his mother\u2019s womb, was diagnosed with neuromuscular scoliosis and has suffered from chronic back pain his whole life, is now able to find some pain relief from his chiropractor sessions.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47711,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/louise-lloyd-penguin-lady-remembered-by-many-20230201\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":3},"title":"Louise Lloyd \u2018penguin lady\u2019 remembered by many","author":"Kouga Express","date":"2 February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Louise Lloyd (n\u00e9e Shaw), who has been an active member of the Jeffreys Bay community for the last 27 years, was born on May 19, 1933 sadly passing away on January 21.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8484ac2b0926441aac3f7ec9c757b792.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8484ac2b0926441aac3f7ec9c757b792.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8484ac2b0926441aac3f7ec9c757b792.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8484ac2b0926441aac3f7ec9c757b792.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50215,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/revered-local-surfer-receives-donation-20210915-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":4},"title":"Revered local surfer receives donation","author":"Kouga Express","date":"16 September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A RECENT urgent surgery left well-known and affable Jeffreys Bay surfer, Tiaan Hoeben, is in severe financial difficulty.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/66b8b94268b049499ec331d0e02e9d42.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/66b8b94268b049499ec331d0e02e9d42.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/66b8b94268b049499ec331d0e02e9d42.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/66b8b94268b049499ec331d0e02e9d42.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53326,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/mom-wont-stop-fighting-for-son-20200129-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":66454,"position":5},"title":"Mom won\u2019t stop fighting for son","author":"Kouga Express","date":"30 January 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"HE knows pain, more pain and challenges than most adults have experienced, made only bearable by morphine on a daily basis.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e6c168e28a334b9faa9b236b90cacc0b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e6c168e28a334b9faa9b236b90cacc0b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e6c168e28a334b9faa9b236b90cacc0b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e6c168e28a334b9faa9b236b90cacc0b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66454"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=66454"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=66454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}