Cape Town’s own road warrior Michael Wynne started a 849km walk-and-ride to George and back to support a 10-year-old boy who has spent four years and three months with a hospital bed as his playground.

The journey started in Cape Town on Friday, and is Wynne’s sixth journey in support of children with cancer.

Wynne is a two-time stage-4 cancer survivor, who in 2019 founded the Walk-a-Ride Foundation, after his own cancer battle. Since then he has taken walks across South Africa to raise awareness and hope for cancer patients and sick children.

Under the slogan “Courage Has a Name”, the walk is dedicated to the ten-year-old Marlo Buys, who is fighting a rare life-threatening pheochromocytoma tumor and is now in critical condition.

Years of suffering

“Marlo is not a normal 10-year-old. While other kids were at school, playing rugby and with friends, Marlo was in and out of hospitals. For four years and three months, hospitals have been his second home. His mother Angelique calls him her brave warrior,” says Wynne.

For years, Marlo suffered from severe symptoms such as extreme high blood pressure, panic attacks, sweating and headaches. Because pheochromocytoma is so rare, especially in children, doctors could not find the cause. “At one stage he was even told he was seeking attention, until one doctor finally listened and tested his adrenal glands,” says Wynne.

Pheochromocytoma is a very rare tumor that grows on the adrenal glands, the small glands on top of the kidneys that control adrenaline and blood pressure. It affects less than 1 in 100 000 children, and is life-threatening if not treated. It causes the body to produce too much adrenaline, leading to dangerously high blood pressure, heart strain, and organ damage.

“Because it was not diagnosed for so long, the constant high pressure has now critically damaged his kidneys and adrenal glands. His kidneys are failing.”

“Marlo is now at a critical stage. State care has supported him, but his rare and complex case now needs specialised private intervention at Mediclinic George to save his kidneys and his life. The costs are enormous and the family cannot do it alone. Time is critical.”

“My aim is always the same, to make people aware of child cancer and to bring hope and love to these children and their families,” says Wynne. “I know what it feels like to be told you won’t make it. I walk so others know they are not alone.”

“Every contribution matters, no matter how small. A R20 donation is not just money, it is breath for Marlo.”

Support for Marlo can be given through the BackaBuddy campaign at backabuddy.co.za/campaign/marlos-brave-battle-reaches-the-stage-of-emergens, and sharing the story, of Michael’s walk on Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok helps spread the word and reach more potential supporters.

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