Vicky Pfeiffer nominated her best friend Tanya Carstens for our next Christmas Wish. While 2020 has challenged us all, Tanya was diagnosed with stage 4 thyroid cancer and lost her brother a few weeks ago to cancer. So while juggling concerns for her own health, Tanya now faces managing grief, as well as being saddled with the dreaded admin and paperwork that invariably follows the death of a loved one.
And all the while, Tanya works tirelessly to love and keep her household on track, and care for her 15 year old son, Donovan who has Pectus Carinatum – a condition also known as pigeon chest in which a malformed/protruding part of the breastbone, imbalances and creates discomfort in the chest. But with all the financial strain that COVID-19 has brought with it, as well as the cost of her own treatment for her life-threatening condition, she has not been able to afford the back brace that would assist Donovan’s condition – and let him feel like any other teenage boy.
That’s where we come in. Hot Cares has picked up the tab for Donovan’s back brace to take at least one burden off of Tanya’s plate while she focuses on her own recovery.