Ayakhanya is a 2 year old with a vibrant spirit, a love for singing and dancing and playing hide and seek. She lives in the rural village of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape with her single mother who struggles daily to support her child as work in the rural outskirts is few and far between and even less so now during this pandemic. Ayakhanya is really good at singing and dancing. And her mother would love for her to one day become an actress.
Ayakhanya is currently a patient at the Division of Ophthalmology, Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, the unit has been developed over the last two decades into a centre of excellence for the management and care of children with Retinoblastoma and is currently able to offer all therapies available aimed at preserving not only life, but also the eye and vision.
Ayakhanya is being treated for Retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer that affects the developing inner layer of the eye. She has lost her left eye and doctors are currently attempting to preserve her right eye. The family started traveling with us in August 2018 when she was just 6 months old. Once a month, they make the grueling 1300 km journey from their rural village to Cape Town for 2 days of treatment. It is a 14 ½ hour trip by bus. Thus far, they have completed 35 bus trips, 5 surgeries, 60 doctor consultations and traveled 45 500 km. Wings and Wishes has been able to assist with funds to the value of R54 000 .
