IN a moment described as a fairytale, Larisca Radue (19) was transformed into the belle of the ball at her very own matric farewell at the Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth last week.
Although she had a beautiful dress and a special car sponsored by Volkswagen ready for her matric farewell at Daniel Pienaar High Technical School in Uitenhage, she was still unable to attend.
Instead, staff members at the Livingstone Hospital played fairy godmothers for the day and recreated a matric farewell just for her. All expenses, including her hair, makeup, food and entertainment, were donated by the public and the hospital.
UD Express reported last week that Larisca’s double lung transplant was delayed for at least a week to attend her matric farewell. However, doctors at the hospital said she was too weak to be discharged. Weighing only 38kg, she receives nutrition to strengthen her body. Larisca suffers from cystic fibrosis, an autosomal recessive genetic disease. The disease leads to frequent lung infections and permanent lung damage in the end. She will receive the lung transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.
Smiling through her tears at her matric farewell, Larisca said that she was overcome with joy and gratitude to the staff members.
“This meant so much for me as I could not attend my school matric farewell. I’ve been looking forward to it for years, but now I can say that I had one of my own,” Larisca said.
Her father, Craig Radue, said that he is extremely grateful to the staff at Livingstone Hospital for organising the special day.
Radue added, “Even though Larisca looked forward to her matric farewell with her fellow school mates, she will never forget having her very own matric farewell. What hospital does this for a patient?”
According to Dr Liz van der Merwe, Larisca had been admitted more frequently for infections and she is quite weak at this stage.
“Ideally, she should have a lung transplant, but she is not strong enough right now. We are planning for her to travel to Cape Town soon where the plan is to start tests and rehabilitation with the view to a possible lung transplant,” Van der Merwe said.
- Anyone who wants to make a contribution towards Larisca’s medical expenses can call Radue at 079 636 4070.
