PARENTS, Phumelele Nxumalo and Lindelani Mpanza are praying for their child to stay alive.
One-year-old Nkanyiso suffers from a heart condition that requires him to stay connected to an oxygen tank 24 hours a day to help him breathe.
However, the parents fear their child's life is at risk because of persistent load shedding and power cuts.
The couple from Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, is asking for donations to enable them to buy a generator as back-up to power the oxygen tank during blackouts.
“I'd have been able to buy the generator, if I was working but I'm not, so I can’t afford it. This breaks my heart. I live in constant fear for his life, should he run out of oxygen.
“I get scared when he has sudden blackouts. As a parent watching all of this, is painful as you fear you'll lose them,” said Lindelani.
With one salary coming in and medical bills pilling up, the parents find themselves at a dead end.
Said Phumelele: “It's been a lot. Sometimes, I sit and wonder how I am still able to make it out of this difficult situation. I used to pray, but not anymore. I feel God is not answering me.
ALSO READ | PICS: Graveyard braai master shocks Mzansi!
“Instead of things getting better, they get worse. I've become numb. I have no one to turn to. I'm doing it because I must.”
She said she found out at birth that Nkanyiso had DiGeorge Syndrome and Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM).
According to the National Library of Medicine, DiGeorge Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that results in poor development of several bodily systems. Its features vary widely, even among members of the same family.
According to the medical centre, DiGoerge Syndrome can cause heart defects, poor immune system function, a cleft palate and low levels of calcium in the blood.
According to the National Library of Medicine, there's no cure for TBM, but treatment can address critical health concerns. TBM is the abnormal collapse of the windpipe. It leads to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and phlegm.
Phumelele said no one from both sides of the families suffers from this condition, which makes her wonder why God had chosen her to go through such a painful situation.
