Our first story concerns young Ezekiel Canham, who started the year as a healthy teenage boy who just loves his soccer and his favourite club Chelsea, and captains his local team.
But, earlier this year Ezekiel started feeling ill, very tired and breathless, particularly at soccer practice. He had to stop playing and was eventually hospitalised, at which point he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – the fast-spreading cancer.
This has obviously affected the little boy greatly, both physically and mentally, and had a huge impact on his family. Ezekiel’s mother Tracy, who lost her job earlier this year, is his sole carer and they, along with his siblings and three cousins, currently live with his grandparents.
The family are on a tight budget and Tracy doesn’t have a car, which means they need to use taxis to get Ezekiel to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital for his chemotherapy, which is already underway.
The problem with taxis are they’re not the best environment for a boy who has just undergone chemo, due to its effect on the body and the resulting nausea.
“I think he vomited the whole way home after his second session,” said Tracy, speaking to the HOT 1027 Breakfast time on air.
As you can imagine, taxi drivers are not that receptive to someone to throwing up in their vehicle, which just makes the whole process even more stressful for Ezekiel and Tracy.
On top of that, Ezekiel’s immune system is more vulnerable to infections and common side effects are weight loss and exhaustion. The doctors have recommended that Ezekiel follow a nutritious diet that will not only support his immune system, but also keep his body strong, energy levels up and ensure he has enough nutrients to sustain the chemotherapy side effects, such as nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting.
But, this nutritious diet costs money.
“It’s been incredibly stressful, but as a mom I need to be strong for him, and we’re just taking it day by day,” said Tracy.
No mother should have to go through what Tracy is and no young boy should have to endure what poor Ezekiel is going through.
That’s why Hot Cares and Silverstar want to do what they can to help.
Together we realise that the transport to and from the hospital for chemo sessions is incredibly stressful, so Silverstar is going to be paying for that transport for the next four months. On top of that, they will also be taking care of Ezekiel’s dietary needs over the next four months, and a bit of a cherry on the cake – providing Ezekiel with his very own Chelsea shirt.
We also understand how much Ezekiel’s soccer club and team means to him, so we’ll be sending some special treats to enjoy with his teammates when he sees them next.
If you would like to nominate an individual, initiative or organization that could do with some help, as part of the Silverstar Pays It Forward campaign, send an email to [email protected].
