GOGO Elizabeth Ramafyi needs help.
Her 11-year-old granddaughter has a rare skin disease that needs to be kept oily at all times.
The 60-year-old from Oukasie in Brits, North West said she takes the child to the hospital once a month to collect some ointments, but they don't last, and this forces her to use money to buy more.
She said this condition, which doctors describe as epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, requires the child to bathe three times a day as it stinks, and that is why they run out of ointments so quickly.
Gogo Elizabeth said she wishes to get help from SunReaders, who can assist her granddaughter in getting treated by experts and ease the pain the child endures daily.
"Every day it's a struggle for me because I'm the one who raised this young girl after her mum left her with me. She is my son's daughter, and he is also jobless. After she was born, she used to have blisters and later on the skin started changing. It pains me to see her not being able to live a normal life like other children," she said.
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The emotional gogo said her granddaughter can't play outside in the sand because the skin is too sensitive.
"Her skin is always dry and on the other hand she has to bathe three times a day to minimise the smell, and that's why all the oily stuff that I use on her body gets finished quickly. I know doctors told me that this is not curable, but my wish is to get help from Good Samaritans who can assist in keeping her skin oily at all times. I rely on pension money and it's not enough," she said.
Gogo said the young girl has to eat specific foods, and it's a problem when she can't buy what is needed.
She said there was a time when kids would make fun of her grandchild.
"She's a bright girl at school but when other children start making fun of her illness, it affects her studies. My wish is to get help so that I can live a normal life like other children and be able to play," said the girl.
Dr Sindile Simama said the condition looks like hyperkeratosis.
He emphasised that the young girl has to be taken to a dermatologist so that they can run some tests and for the correct treatment to be prescribed.
He said the condition can only be managed by keeping it moisturised.
