Bianca Ackhurst on the Road to Recovery after GBD Diagnosis

On the 16 August 2018, Bianca Ackhurst (22) was transferred to the South Rand Rehabilitation Centre in The Hill, Johannesburg to continue her fight against Guillain-Barré Disease, an extremely rare autoimmune disorder that left her paralyzed at the beginning of July.

“Bianca’s condition is improving daily and she is at the point where she can sit with little to no assistance and can stand unassisted for about 3 seconds at a time. She remains positive despite dealing with this soul destroying illness ” – says Bianca’s father, Jeffrey Ackhurst

Bianca currently does about 3 hours of physical, speech and occupational therapy a day. While she is making progress, doctors suggest her recovery could take up to 6 months.

“When I took my first step with my walker, I reminded myself, that you have to keep fighting when you get knocked down. I am determined to get better and get my life back” – says Bianca Ackhurst

Bianca’s treatment has been made possible through generous contributions to her campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy. The campaign went live on the 6th of July, shortly after Bianca’s diagnosis and has thus far raised over R108 065.41 with contributions from 165 donors.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to Bianca’s BackaBuddy fund and for the kindness and compassion we received as a family. Your thoughts and prayers have been a pillar of strength for us during a very difficult time” Says Jeffrey

Bianca’s ongoing medical treatment is estimated to cost a further R200 000.Support Bianca’s crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy by donating here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/bianca-treatment-guillain-barre

Watch a video of Bianca walking here:https://youtu.be/adATfU5yiZ4

About BackaBuddy:BackaBuddy is a proudly South African crowdfunding platform where individuals have the opportunity to raise funds for causes they feel passionate about.BackaBuddy has raised over R73.5 million for various charities, individuals and causes across South Africa.Website: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackabuddySA/

For more information please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Or call: +27 60 956 22 36 (parents of Bianca)