Hot Cares helps Mpempe experience the magic of the ocean for the very first time

For most 15-year-olds, life is about friendships, hobbies, dreams, and discovering the world. Mpempe is no different.

She is a bright, adventurous teenager who loves singing, dancing, exploring, and – most importantly – pandas. Her dad Collin laughs as he remembers buying her a panda teddy when she was just six months old.

“I thought it was going to scare her, but instead she bonded with the panda bear,” he says.

But over the past year, Mpempe’s world has looked very different.

After Collin noticed that his usually energetic daughter was becoming tired and withdrawn, medical tests revealed that she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Since then, she has undergone intensive treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, with Collin himself becoming her donor.

Sadly, the transplant was unsuccessful, and Mpempe’s condition is now terminal.

For Collin, who lost Mpempe’s mother in 2020 and has raised his daughter on his own ever since, the journey has been incredibly difficult. Together, they recently spent 14 weeks in isolation at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

“This road is very, very hard,” says Collin. “She was forced to adapt to this new life, the life that she doesn’t know.”

But through it all, Mpempe’s courage continues to inspire those around her.

“You expect the news to shake her, but she’s not shaken,” says Collin. “Instead, she’s looking forward to this new life of hers.”

One of Mpempe’s biggest dreams has always been simple – to go on holiday with her dad and see the ocean for the very first time.

Thanks to the generosity of Hot Cares supporters, that dream is becoming a reality.

Hot Cares is sending Mpempe and Collin on a five-day trip to Durban, covering their flights, accommodation, transport, meals, and entertainment – while ensuring everything is carefully planned around Mpempe’s medical needs.

More than a holiday, it’s a chance for a father and daughter to step away from hospital walls and create beautiful memories together.

“Thank you very much to you and your listeners,” said an emotional Collin.

Because even in the most difficult chapters, there is still room for moments of joy, love, and wonder – and that’s the meaningful difference Hot Cares is privileged to help make.