HOT Cares Helps Single Mom with Important Equipment for Child with Special Needs

We all celebrated Mother’s Day recently and it was a timely reminder of how important mothers are in our lives.

Taking that a step further, here at Hot Cares we’ve often seen just how hard single moms have things, particularly with little to no help, as they navigate life, trying to balance work and motherhood.

You can add another layer of complexity when the child in question is disabled and that’s the case with Shirley Hlope, who is mom to six-year-old Esihle, who was born prematurely, weighing just over a kilogram, was in intensive care for four months, and developed Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.

“Esihle is non-verbal, unable to sit, crawl or walk independently, and spends most of her time in a wheelchair,” said Shirley. “We also discovered recently that she is developing a hip subluxation and needs a hip abduction brace to prevent them from dislocating, along with orthotist pillows to sit and sleep on, to keep her hips open.”

The problem is that just the brace itself costs over R4000 and Shirley has run out of medical aid funds, due to Esihle often falling ill with chest infections, along with the therapy sessions she has.

“As a result, I’m in financial difficulty and I am struggling to pay for everything, as there’s no-one who can assist because I am raising her alone,” said Shirley.

Shirley is not able to work, as she needs to be a full-time mom to Esihle, which is perfectly understandable. We also understand that the medical costs associated with a child with special needs are pretty substantial and Shirley’s predicament is just exacerbated by not being able to work.

Fortunately, Hot Cares has wonderful partners and incredible listeners via HOT 102.7FM, and it’s these supporters who provide us with the means to make a material difference to the lives of those around us.

It also means we’re able to help selfless moms like Shirley, and that’s why we’re stumping up for the brace Esihle needs, as well as the recommended pillows for the wheelchair for extra comfort.

We hope this at least eases the burden on both Esihle and Shirley just a little. Having the brace will bring some comfort to Esihle, but also, hopefully, some relief and peace to Shirley.

If you are a prospective partner of Hot Cares, or if you are in a position to donate towards making a meaningful difference, or have a story to alert us to, or a programme you’d like to partner with Hot Cares on, please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected].