Hot Cares and Silverstar Pay it Forward with Important Help for Forest Farm Centre

There really is no limit to the love of a mother and Siduduze is a great example that.

When she was five months’ pregnant in 2020, she found out that her baby had Hydrocephalus or “water on the brain”. Her doctors suggested she terminate her pregnancy, but after consulting family and friends and trusting her faith, she decided to keep the baby and Jedidiah was born in August 2020.

He’s the light of his mother’s life, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s been a struggle for Siduduze, who is a single mother and cares for Jedidiah by herself.

When he was just a month old, it was discovered that he was blind and he’s also gone on to survive two brain surgeries before his third birthday.

“I just try by all means to learn to love my son as he is, to see him as a gift,” said Siduduze.

Jed is now nearly three and already weighs 25 kilograms, but his condition means he needs constant care and needs to be carried around, including for basic tasks, such as bathing, which Siduduze obviously takes care of.

“He’s blind, he can’t move and he’s a deadweight, so I have to carry him,” said Siduduze. “It’s becoming more difficult, as he grows.”

No surprise to hear, then, that Siduduze is in desperate need of some equipment to assist her in caring for her boy, such as a stroller and bath chair. These two pieces of equipment would greatly alleviate her daily struggle, as well as improve the quality of Jed’s life.

Siduduze and Jed’s story really touched all of us at Hot Cares and we desperately want to help where we can. The story was actually brought to us by CE Mobility – the largest wheelchair manufacturer and distributor in South Africa – and a Hot Cares partner that we’ve worked extensively with before.

As a result, CE Mobility have come onboard with a wholesale discount and Hot Cares will be covering the cost of a new stroller, accessories and a bath chair for Jed, to the value of R66 500!

The HOT 1027 Breakfast team broke the news to Siduduze live on air, and she was blown away.

“I’m so thankful,” she said. “Sometimes you just don’t have the words, but I’m so appreciative. This will be a huge help for me and a huge relief.”

Similarly, 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].