Tiny Ntshabelang, mother of a 14 year old girl battling with a very rare form of ovarian cancer has appealed to the public to help fund her daughter’s treatment, which she said would cost P500 000. The critically ill teenager, Abian Ntshabelang who was diagnosed with the condition last year January is said to only have a few months to live unless she gets the treatment she needs.
Ntshabelang said she was informed that the Botswana government is unable to assist because it is not it is policy to fund treatment outside of Botswana or South Africa. Since then, several fund raising activities were set up to raise funds for her daughter’s treatment but they have only made close to half of the money needed so far. “Abian is suffering from a rare form of ovarian cancer known as immature teratoma. She has three big tumors in her tummy, two of which affect the functionality and growth of her liver and lungs. The treatment she requires will cost US$50 000 inclusive of travel and accommodation, so far nearly fifty percent of that has been raised. She will be getting her treatment in China due to the complexity of the operation required to remove the tumors,” she said.
“Abbie is my only child and my whole life. If there is anything anyone can do to help save her life, I would be extremely grateful. I have been overwhelmed and humbled by your support. You are giving me and Abbie so much hope and I hope you can continue to support my daughter and help save her life. She is trying very hard to stay positive and hopeful but she is also distraught and frequently in a lot of pain,” she said.
Lorraine Lionheart , who is currently coordinating the fund raising for Abian said she came across the story of Abbie last year November 2014 “Doctors in the UK have said she has a few months to live unless she gets treatment. Her condition is progressive and will get worse unless enough funds are raised to fund her treatment in a specialist children’s hospital in China.”
“Her mum has sold everything she had to fund her treatments so far. The government of Botswana won’t fund her treatment unless it is provided in Botswana or South Africa, which sadly it isn’t. Even though she is currently in the UK, she is not British so UK is unable to help financially. Abbie’s only hope is sympathetic people around the world to help her get the treatment she needs to survive, by donating any amount they can.” Lionheart said.