GAUTENG. – Clair Aucamp, ‘n Mayvie-leerder, het na ‘n val by die skool gesterf. Gareth Aucamp (17), Clair se broer, kry chemoterapie vir leukemie, ter voorbereiding van ‘n beenmurgoorplanting.
Clair Aucamp het verlede Donderdag by Laerskool Mayville van die tweede verdieping geval en het gedurende die naweek gesterf. Gareth Aucamp het nog voordat sy suster oorlede is, op sy YouTube-kanaal vir gebed gevra. Op die kanaal vertel hy van sy reis met leukemie waarvan ‘n gedeelte hier gesien kan word. Gareth het nuus van Clair se afsterwe op sy kanaal gedeel, kyk hier daarna. ‘n Diens vir Clair vind Saterdag by Laerskool Mayville plaas.
Aucamp wag vir ‘n beenmurgoorplanting wat na verwagting in Augustus gaan plaasvind.
Gavin Aucamp, Clair en Gareth se pa, vertel in Gareth se BuckaBuddy-profiel hoe Gareth met leukemie gediagnoseer is. Die familie het volgens sy vertelling deur ‘n moeilike tyd gegaan. Clair is in Maart 2023 met retinitis pigmentosa (RP), ‘n skaars oogsiekte, asook grenspersoonlikheidsversteuring gediagnoseer. Ma Christelle het in November 2023 ‘n diagnose van tipe 1-diabetes gekry en boonop het hulle hulle werk verloor. En asof daar geen einde is nie, het Gareth siek geraak.
Gareth (17) het aan die einde van Desember oor lae rugpyn gekla. Aanvanklike toetse het op jig gedui. Na medikaie het die pyn na sy regterheup verskuif. Gareth het sy eerste week as matriekleerder begin met pyn wat net erger word. Hy is terug dokter toe, maar koors het hom in Ongevalle laat beland. Na X-strale is Gareth met ‘n anti-inflammatoriese middel huis toe gestuur. Die volgende dag moes hy weer as gevolg van koors terug Ongevalle toe en sy ingewande is hierdie keer met ‘n sonar ondersoek. Hardlywigheid is gediagnoseer en hy het weer medikasie gekry.
Gavin verduidelik die volgende dag is Gareth weer met koors Ongevalle toe, waar ‘n dokter sy bloedtoetse vergelyk het. Daar is bevind sy infeksietelling het met elke besoek gestyg, waarna hy opgeneem is. ‘n MRI het septiese artritis in sy heup bevestig en ‘n operasie het gevolg. Met spiere wat tydens die operasie geaffekteer is, moes Gareth fisioterapie ontvang. Dit was ook die einde van sy matriekjaar se eerste termyn.
Laboratoriumtoetse is gedoen en die ortopediese chirurg wou hulle sien. Gavin sê hulle het gedink hulle is op die herstelpad; toe verwys die chirurg hulle na ‘n onkoloog. Die onkoloog het gesê Gareth het leukemie en hom die volgende dag opgeneem.
“Gareth is met B-Tipe akute limfoblastiese leukemie (ALL) gediagnoseer, waarna hy vir die volgende maand in die hospitaal met aggressiewe chemoterapie behandel is.”
Na sy ontslag uit die hospitaal het Gareth steeds chemoterapie ondergaan en hy het uiteindelik nuus gekry dat die leukemie in remissie is. Om te verhoed dat die kanker nie na sy brein versprei nie, het Gareth ook ‘n spinale chemo-inspuiting gekry.
“Dit beteken egter nie dat Gareth kankervry is nie en hy moet steeds weeklikse chemosessies vir die volgende vier maande ondergaan, terwyl daar vir ‘n beenmurgoorplanting voorberei word, wat nodig is om die kankerstryd te wen.”
“Met dit alles gesê, is ons dankbaar vir die ondersteuning wat ons ontvang het en die vrygewigheid van familie, vriende en totale vreemdelinge. Dit maak ons nederig om die goeie in al die mense te sien, dit wys dat ‘n Hoër Krag en Doel met en deur ons beweeg.”
Nuusflits wil vir Gareth sterkte toewens.
Lees Gareth Aucamp se volledige vertelling hier onder:
I am Gavin Aucamp and today I am going to tell you about my 17-year-old son, Gareth. My hard-working, ambitious and outgoing son had never been sickly until the end of 2023. During December 2023, Gareth started to experience some lower back pain and discomfort. After blaming the pain on his posture during his gaming session, we took him to the doctor for a thorough investigation and blood tests. The initial tests indicated high levels of Uric Acid indicating that he has a form of Gout. After he started taking Gout medication and the pain in his back disappeared but moved to his right hip; this was early January 2024 just before starting his Matric School year.
He went to School for the first week and during this week also landed a part-time job as a runner at a local restaurant clearing tables earning him some extra pocket money. The pain in his hip got worse every day and the following week he couldn’t bear the pain anymore. My wife, Christelle, took him back to the GP but he developed a fever and was taken to the ER. They did a few tests with some X-rays of the lower back, because of the history they didn’t check the hip and thought it could be caused by the lower back. Some anti-inflammatory medication was provided and they were sent on their way. The following day he had a fever again so Christelle took him back to the ER, this time they did a sonar on the intestines. The doctors reckoned that the Sonar showed some constipation that could be a result of all the medication and this could be the cause of the fever. Gareth received some medication to soften the stool and they were sent on their way. The following day Gareth had a fever again and once again Christelle and Gareth went to the ER, this time the doctor compared the blood work of the day’s visit with the other visit and identified that Gareth’s infection count was rising daily. They admitted him to the Hospital.
After doing an MRI they identified Septic Arthritis on the right hip, this is a bacterial infection that travels through the bloodstream and attacks the joint. They needed to prepare him for surgery. The surgery is from the rear buttocks where they cut through the muscles, drill a small hole in the pelvis, remove the Septic Arthritis, and take some samples to see the nature of the bacteria and understand what type of antibiotics to treat it with. Gareth was in the hospital for a little over a week but combining the ER trips was touching on two weeks. Gareth was discharged and had to see a Physical Therapist because he would gradually need to walk again because of the severed muscles. The school was out for the first quarter of his final year but we know he could catch this up.
A week we received a call from the Orthopaedic Surgeon who requested we come and have a discussion regarding some results that came back from the Laboratory. We thought the test was completed and we were on the road of recovery not knowing a new chapter was about to start. The Orthopaedic Surgeon had a concern about some of the results and referred us to an Oncologist which we saw the very next day. The Oncologist identified Leukemia and he was admitted to the hospital the very next day. After some tests they diagnosed Gareth with B-Type Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and for the next month in the hospital went for aggressive chemotherapy.
He was discharged and had two out of Hospital Chemo sessions and the Oncologist said on his day 22 Chemo treatment that he is in remission and his MRD is also clear. This however doesn’t mean that Gareth is cancer-free and he has to undergo weekly Chemo sessions for the next four months whilst they are preparing for a Bone Marrow transplant that is necessary to win the cancer battle.
Gareth has received a R 250,000.00 Oncology benefit through our medical aid and the last statement we received on this benefit for processed claims was on the 27th of March 2024 where only R 72k remains. This excludes the two out of Hospital Chemo sessions where the last one consisted of 6 Hours of Treatment including a Spinal Chemo injection to prevent the Leukemia from spreading to the Brain. Gareth still need to undergo a bone marrow transplant once all the chemotherapy has been concluded.
We are a God-fearing family who have tried to live a simple and honest life. As a family, we have experience 18 difficulty months which included Christelle’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in Nov 2023, job losses and our daughter’s (Clair) retinus pigmentosa and borderline personality disorder diagnosis in March 23. In spite of this remain faithful and know that we will overcome whatever challenges come our way.
With all this said we are Grateful for the support that we have received and the generosity of Family, Friends, and total strangers. It is humbling to see the good in all the people it shows that Higher power and Purpose moves with and throughs us.
Foto: Laerskool Mayville
