Awonke – making the most of second chances
When Awonke was 6 months’ old, he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver. He spent his first birthday in hospital – after surgery to remove the tumour and months of treatment he was in remission. In 2019 it was discovered that he had a heart condition as a result of the chemotherapy he had as a baby. After being admitted in ICU in Bloemfontein in January 2020, the news was devastating – Awonke’s heart was taking too much strain. In January 2022 he was referred to Cape Town for assessment to see if he will be a candidate for a heart transplant, as this was the only option to save his life. Due to his medical history, he would normally not be considered for a transplant, but Awonke passed the assessment and was placed on the transplant list.
On 24 August 2022 the long-awaited call was received – there was a heart for Awonke – he needs to get to Cape Town as soon as possible! Wings and Wishes was wonderful, within 2 hours from receiving the call Awonke and his granny was on a flight to Cape Town.
The transplant was done on 25 August 2022. It was a long and difficult road to recovery. Wings & Wishes stayed in contact with the granny and gave her the emotional support needed. Granny Thabita says,
“They flew my son, Ayanda, Awonke’s uncle, to Cape Town to visit us. What made us very happy was that Awonke took his first step when his uncle arrived. In other words, his arrival helped a lot to keep Awonke’s spirits high.” On 1 December 2022 Awonke walked out of the hospital and returned home!
“Awonke is doing very well he is back at school after being absent for 3yrs. We thank God for that. I don’t know what to say about Wings and Wishes they were there for us when we needed them most. And they are still flying us for all the biopsies since the transplant. We also thank Inge for the moral message of support whilst we were far away from home. We really appreciate everything the organization has done for us”, says granny Thabita.
Awonke is still traveling with Wings & Wishes for his annual check up with his cardiologist in Cape Town.
