GAUTENG. – Dianty da Silva (5), who had been fighting B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since age three, has died.
Randfontein Primary School shared their condolences with Dianty's family on social media yesterday and in a message said the school thinks with love of the family during this "heartbreaking and difficult time." In the message, the school said they pray that the Lord will hold everyone tightly in his arms and surround them with his love and grace, as well as strength, comfort and peace. "We pray for you," the school concluded.
Dianty celebrated her fifth birthday on 13 May this year. Her mother, Dina da Silva, regularly shared posts about her daughter's cancer battle. Dianty was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at age three and underwent intensive treatment and a bone marrow transplant. Da Silva wrote on 1 September, marking Children's Cancer Awareness Month, that Dianty had already experienced four relapses.
On 25 June, Da Silva shared that Dianty's doctor and professor confirmed that at that stage there were no signs of cancer in her bone marrow or spinal fluid and that she was in remission. "After everything she has been through, this feels like a breath of grace and hope," she wrote. On 3 August, however, the family learned that Dianty had relapsed again after her bone marrow transplant. In an emotional post on 7 August, Da Silva wrote: "I have no words," and asked God to just stay with her "until I can breathe again". She said: "I still believe in miracles even though it came back," and asked: "Please just hold my child, Lord. HEAL HER PLEASE!!!!!!!" She also stressed that Dianty had not asked to be a "warrior" or "little fighter," but was "just a child" who wanted to be a child again.
Da Silva explained on 20 August how Dianty was admitted to hospital on 7 August and started treatment on 9 August. She received two different chemotherapy treatments per day and on the third day received three different treatments. The treatment, which was initially planned for seven days, was stopped after three days when Dianty became very ill. According to her mother, her liver was not functioning properly and inflammation and a reaction from her immune system led to a serious deterioration in her condition. Her oxygen levels and heart rate later dropped drastically and a doctor asked the family to come to her.
Dianty's condition then began to improve according to her mother. "She slowly but surely got her fight back," Da Silva wrote. She explained how her daughter began walking, eating and laughing again and that a doctor described the improvement as "a miracle."
Da Silva continued to write about her daughter's health throughout September. In the photo album named "Dynamite Dianty" photos were regularly shared of the little girl with pretty headbands that helped cover her hair loss. In one of her recent posts, Da Silva wrote: "The Lord knows … I will keep praying and keep believing for miracle after miracle." Shortly after, she wrote about her love for her daughter: "I love you so… so… so… deeply, dearly, impossibly, infinitely Dianty."
Photo: Dina da Silva
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
