Fund the family to pay medical bills and funeral costs for Charlotte
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Charlotte’s memorial service
9 June 2023 -
Promoted to Glory
1 June 2023It is with great sadness and heartache that I announce that Charlotte has passed away in hospital in Mutare at around 10:30pm New Zealand time on the 1st June 2023.
Gawie and Charlotte were already in Mutare preparing for her third round of chemo. Her blood tests showed that both her haemoglobin and white cell counts were very low and they indicated she would need three units of blood and would need to be reassessed before her next chemo treatment, The bloods were due to be done today. Early this morning Charlotte woke to find that a blood vessel in the wound in her neck had burst. She managed to get from her bed to Gawie’s and wake him up. He was able to stem the flow of blood while a private ambulance was called and Charlotte was taken to hospital. At hospital Dr’s took over and an urgent delivery of blood was infused. Sadly the whole journey was just too much for Charlotte’s battle weary body to bear.
All funds raised will be used to pay off existing medical costs and any surplus will go towards funeral costs,
Our thoughts are with Charlotte’s husband of nearly 44 years Gawie, their son, Corrie, their daughter and son in law Natasha and Jaco and their grand children Chantelle and Jimmie. Our condolences also to the Bosnian side of the family, Charlotte’s siblings and extended family on her mum and dad’s side.
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Knocking Knock knocking on Heavens Door
22 May 2023Sadly this has been a very real fear for the family. Charlotte was first diagnosed with throat cancer in January 2022, the cancer was surgically removed and in February 2022 she underwent radiation. By mid year her radiation therapy was completed, her oncologist at the time was happy with how she had responded to the treatment, tests showed that she was in remission. Charlotte weighed a mere 39 kilos. Perhaps it would have been better to have done chemotherapy at the same time as the radiation and perhaps that would have eradicated the beast altogether. As it turns out it would be back in less than a year, more aggressive and inoperable. For some, they'd say she's had a good innings, let her go, but when it's your wife, your life partner of 40+ years, the mother of your kids, not only do you not want to write her off to this awful disease, but you want to do everything in your power to stop the pain and the suffering. The oncologist is pretty sure that with the levels of chemotherapy that Charlotte is receiving, she will be able to fight off the cancer. They could see a marked difference in the spread of the cancer after the first treatment.
Charlotte has to have chemo every 3 weeks, for 6 sessions. She has just completed her second session. Sadly we've had a few scary moments, that we now know to expect a drastic downward spiral anywhere from three to seven days after each chemo. After the first treatment the family in South Africa were summoned urgently to her bedside, fearing the worse after a sudden collapse.
She recovered and there was a slight delay in receiving the second treatment, as her red blood cell count was too low for chemo. Once this was rectified she had the second treatment and once again her body seemed to be on the brink of collapse.
She has in the past few days (a week after her 2nd treatment) had a bad case of oral thrush erupt all over her mouth and throat, the chemo that destroys the cancer, is also destroying her body's natural defenses and the thrush is a sign of that.
If Charlotte were in a first world country her nutritional needs would be supplemented by specialised food supplements like ensure and complan, and hearty bone and veggie broths. Where swallowing was difficult or impossible, and with the risk of starvation being very likely, in gastrointestinal feeding tube and specialised food supplements would have prevented the deterioration of her body to it's current state. Unfortunately limited options are available, while ensure and complan can be obtained in neighbouring South Africa and Botswana, their prices are so high, that most people just can't afford them. Even making healthy and hearty bone broths would make such a difference, but they can't afford meat or meat bones and fresh veg along with all the medical expenses.
When I think that I could provide the essential nurturing nutrition that Charlotte's body needs and craves, simply with the food that people throw away in NZ, it breaks my heart, because Charlotte is effectively dying more from starvation from lack of essential nutrient dense, readily absorbable food sources, than she is from the cancer or the chemo.
Following the second treatment, Gawie again was worried as her condition worsened, the pain was intense and her throat and mouth so sore that she couldn't manage more than a few sips of anything, the pain relief that she has been given is in capsule form, and she can't swallow them, they just end up getting stuck in her throat or dissolving in her throat where she often ends up choking from inhaling the powder. In sheer desperation, Gawie was able to find a Dr in their village of Chipinge, who agreed to see Charlotte while she's under the remote oncologist's treatment. (Most others have refused and the Oncologist himself, is away until the end of May). The Dr gave Charlotte a shot of antibiotics and gave Gawie 21 Diclofenic Acid (voltaren) Injections. Gawie is to administer them 3 x a day. At this stage it seems twice a day is sufficient, the problem is Gawie is neither Dr nor Nurse, but the Dr didn't seem to think this is a problem, and Charlotte is literally skin and bone, trying to find a bit of muscle in which to inject her is difficult, but the medicine has helped and she was able to have some jelly and custard. Tasty but virtually devoid of any beneficial nutrients.
While her hair was thinning naturally, the two bouts of chemo have caused the remainder to fall out quite rapidly. This photo was taken this morning 22/05/23
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