Joshua Naicker (22 months old) from Midrand, Johannesburg, was born at only 33 weeks old with challenging circumstances. The circumference of his head measured 45 cm, a length greater than his body, due to tremendous fluid on his brain.

Proud parents, Phillecia (29) and Bradley (36) were elated to welcome their first born into the world after 5 years of marriage and with uncomplicated family medical history, they could not have anticipated the difficult road ahead.Baby Joshua was diagnosed with congenital Hydrocephalus, more commonly known as “water on the brain”. This relentless and incurable disease currently affects 1 in every 500 babies globally.

At only 10 days old Joshua had already undergone his first brain surgery and spent the first two months of his life in Neonatal ICU, where he received a number of plasma blood transfusions to compensate for hemorrhaging large amounts of blood. He has since been fitted with a shunt (a thin piece of plastic tubing with a catheter), which drains the fluid from his brain to his stomach.

As a result of this rare disease Joshua has developed a number of serious conditionsnamely Cerebral Palsy (Hemiplegia), severe Cortical Visual Impairment, Hip Dysplasia, Epilepsy, Chiari Malformation, Scoliosis, missing Septum Pellucid, global developmental delay and hypertonia.

“He has had a total of 5 operations in his short existence, 3 of them being brain surgeries, uncountable hours of therapy and doctors appointments. His daily activities are so challenging and he cannot perform any tasks independently such as sitting, standing, crawling, playing, eating or drinking.” – says Bradley.

Despite his challenging circumstances, Joshua is described as a bubbly child, who loves affection.“He has the most beautiful smile, a smile that can capture anyone's heart. He exudes love and happiness. He has the true heart of a warrior.” – says Phillecia 

“He has come such a long way and is getting very close to sitting and crawling each day. He is beating the odds and with the right treatment and therapy has a chance at developing normally.” – adds Bradley

With unexpected mounting medical costs, Joshua’s parents have appealed to the public for support and set up a campaign on donations-based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy hopes to fund raise a total of R400 000 for Joshua to undergo Stem Cell Therapy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

“Stem cell treatment will help him have a better quality of life and we are hoping it will specifically help with his vision, as he is practically blind. Stem cells have the ability to regenerate and repair the damaged brain cells. Duke University has performed thousands of stem cell infusions specifically for children born with this condition. We are hopeful that the procedure will eliminate at least one of Joshua’s conditions” – says Bradley

Breakdown of medical costs:

• The estimated total cost of the first stem cell treatment will be around R344 700 allowing for exchange rate fluctuations or an approximate 10 per cent increase.
• Banking and processing the stem cells for infusion: R20 460HLA-typing of both siblings to confirm a match: R6 507Transporting the stem cells to America: R26 300
• Infusion of stem cells: R216 100
• Transportation and accommodation in America: R44 000

“From the time Joshua was born we have done our best to manage this extremely difficult and expensive situation on our own, but the financial toll on our family has been overwhelming and we need help. We cannot express our gratitude to everyone who has supported out BackaBuddy campaign. Donors have given our boy a chance at a life where he will encounter far less challenges” – says Phillecia. 

Joshua’s campaign has thus far raised R45 498 towards his fundraising goal of R400 000 with contributions from 64 donors.Contribute Joshua’s medical campaign by donating here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/hope-for-joshua

Participate in the Global Giving Survey to empower Charities in South Africa here

BackaBuddy a proudly South African crowdfunding platform where individuals have the opportunity to raise funds for causes they feel passionate about.BackaBuddy has raised over R65.6 million various causes and charitable organizations in South Africa.T

Take a look at our Website site https://www.backabuddy.co.za

For additional information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 082 602 0735

Local flooring company Polyflor SA was once again in the privileged position to assist Carte Blanche with their “Making a Difference” campaign by donating a 780 m2 vinyl floor for use in the creation of an Infant High Care Ward at the Sebokeng Hospital. According to Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA, this was the 8th year that the company has been involved in this campaign which aims to equip and renovate Paediatric Operating Theatres, ICUs and High Care Wards in selected state academic hospitals throughout South Africa. 

“Supplying hospitals and healthcare facilities with top quality and specialist vinyl flooring solutions is one of our areas of expertise.  For this reason we were very excited to partner with the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust the first time they approached us for a corporate sponsorship many years ago.  We saw it as an ideal opportunity to give something back to the community and to help make a lasting and tangible difference where it was most needed,” Tandy says.  

Background to the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Campaign

Carte Blanche is South Africa's longest running investigative journalism television programme. Eight years ago, it launched its “Making a Difference Trust”, which has since then raised well over R115 million for assisting paediatric units in government hospitals across the country. Academic hospitals are intentionally targeted as beneficiaries to ensure that future doctors can be trained at these facilities that serve large numbers of the uninsured paediatric population.

Sebokeng Hospital

The Sebokeng hospital is an 800 bed, peri-urban, regional hospital situated in Sedibeng (south of Johannesburg) that historically served a population of well over 1 million inhabitants. In recent years, the hospital has had to adjust to the growing demands of a rapidly increasing population, as job seekers move to the area in the hope of finding employment. High mortality is a challenge facing the hospital on a daily basis, as the residents of the Sedibeng District continue to face diseases such HIV and TB amongst a host of other ailments. Malnutrition in patients from the area is often a compromising factor in achieving successful health outcomes.

With the only Neonatal Unit in the area, Sebokeng Hospital delivers vitally important service for the whole district. This unit however, can only attend to children up to 28 days of age. Although designed for 36 babies, it has 60 infants at any given. Historically, babies over 28 days old could not be attended to here, and needed to be referred to the adult ICU or high care ward if a bed was available.

In response to this crisis, the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust (MAD), together with donor South 32, sought to address the critical demand for beds and equipment for infants over the age of 28 days old and children up to the age of 6 years, by way of creating an Infant High Care Ward at Sebokeng Hospital. Longstanding partner on several of MAD’s infrastructural revamps – Sakhiwo Health Solutions – were appointed as the MAD Trust’s Developers to overhaul a third of the Ward 3 bungalow, and to create a modern facility capable of responding to the needs of the children from community. The Hospital Design Group was tasked with the architectural design and coordination of all the specialist elements required to turn this project into a reality.

Polyflor’s Involvement

Rudolf Roos of the Hospital Design Group was the architect in charge of the renovation project, and he selected Polyflor’s Homogeneous Mystique sheeting for the unit. A modern-looking vinyl floor that was aesthetically pleasing was high on the project coordinator’s wish list. “Modern healthcare design is about creating homely, relaxed environments for patients, staff and visitors. The choice of floor covering can have a major impact on the ‘feel’ of a hospital. Vinyl flooring not only looks beautiful, but also offers one of the best environmentally sustainable options in flooring.  Because it comes in a sheet form, it provides a hygienic, impervious surface which is critical in the healthcare environment,” Tandy explains.

The installation of the donated floor by Polyflor was facilitated by Turner Pierson at a special rate. “Looking at the finished project and seeing what a difference this project has made, we are immensely proud of being associated with a group of South Africa’s leading businesses who believe in the future of our country and don’t shy away from the opportunity to do good,” Tandy concludes.

For more information about Polyflor SA, please visit www.polyflor.co.za