HOT 102.7FM Listeners Rally Through HOT Cares Christmas To Give Kiara-Rose Hope And Healing

Kiara-Rose Dunn’s story is one that immediately captured the hearts of everyone at Hot 102.7FM. It is the story of a vibrant 15-year-old teenager whose world changed almost overnight.

Just over a year ago, Kiara-Rose was a typical teen: playing hockey, loving school, always rescuing animals, and wearing a smile that, her family says, never left her face. But everything shifted the day she collapsed for the first time. Then again. And again.

These fainting episodes soon escalated into seizures that, now, happen daily and are both unpredictable and dangerous. She can fall without warning on stairs, at school, even while sleeping. She risks injury, choking, and each day carries the anxiety of not knowing when the next seizure will strike. For her safety, the family has set up a buddy system to ensure Kiara-Rose is never alone for any length of time. And the school is suggesting that, if her seizures can’t be controlled, she may have to stay home next year. Needless to say, this is no way for a once active, social and independent teenager to live.

Through it all, Kiara has remained positive and upbeat but even she has her tough days. Her mother, Carmella Dunn, described the helplessness of watching her daughter suffer. “Imagine hearing your child say they’re tired of being sick… tired of the jokes… tired of the pain. No parent should ever hear that.”

Finding the cause of the 'ainting spells', let alone the solution, has proven expensive and complicated. In the last year, Kiara-Rose has gone from doctor to doctor and undergone numerous tests.

Having no medical aid, the family has tried everything they can to pay for the tests while still being there for Kiara-Rose. Carmella works late into the night as a beautician and baker. James Dunn, a youth minister, juggles ministry work and part-time jobs. Every appointment, scan, and test has been paid for through sacrifice, loans, and the generosity of friends.

But Kiara-Rose still needs more tests. Her doctor has recommended specialised monitoring that requires her to be hospitalised for a week, which comes with a hefty R200,000 price tag. This is simply impossible for the family to manage.

Not, however, for Hot 102.7FM and the Hot Cares Christmas team.

When Hot 102.7FM’s Bunny Majaja and Shona Madurai welcomed the Dunn family to the studio, they believed they were there simply to share Kiara-Rose’s story. Instead, the family were astonished to learn that Hot Cares Christmas would be covering the full R200,000, thanks to the generosity of Hot 102.7FM listeners.

When they initially heard the incredible news, they were speechless and overwhelmed with relief, and it took a while before they were able to say how they felt. Finally Carmella spoke through her tears of joy: “It’s the hardest thing in the world to watch your child not be able to do what they should be doing, and you can’t fix it. And you just stepped in and… I don’t have words. Thank you. It means the world to us.”

“No child should have to go through the fear, pain and uncertainty that Kiara-Rose is experiencing,” says Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM. “Thanks to the generosity of our listeners, Kiara-Rose has hope. This support will ensure she receives specialised hospital monitoring and treatment – giving her the chance at finding a solution and reclaiming her childhood.”

Hot Cares Christmas runs until Thursday, 11 December, on Hot 102.7FM’s breakfast and drive shows, turning goodwill into real-world support for people who need a helping hand right now.