Two Cape Town friends will embark on a 270km journey from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain to raise R1.2million for life-saving pediatric medical equipment at Tygerberg Hospital.
Louise Theron, CEO of Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust and entrepreneur Leone Malan will start their two week journey on May 20 in aid of Blisters for Babies, an initiative which is aimed at addressing the dire need for highly-specialised equipment used in the neonatal and pediatric wards.
Tygerberg Hospital treats the most babies weighing less than 1500 grams across South Africa. As the largest pediatric unit in the Western Cape, with 210 pediatric beds and 90 neonatal beds, it treats about half of the 2.4 million children living in the province who require specialist medical care.
Theron said while the need was unlimited, the aim of this particular walk was to raise funds for crucial equipment used in the pediatric unit such as sonar scanners, pediatric bronchoscopes, nebulisers and incubators. In addition, washing machines, tumble dryers and even toiletries for the mothers in the Kangaroo Mother Care programme were needed.
The duo is no stranger to travelling together as they have gone on several outreaches and missionary work together, recently helping Syrian refugee children during a trip to Greece. The women have been friends for about 20 years and started training together for this self-funded walk late last year. One morning in January, when doctoring several blisters on her feet, Theron had an epiphany of how she had endured these blisters for babies and the name was created.
Along their pilgrimage from cathedral to cathedral the duo will be offering prayers for the little children back home who are in desperate need. “We will say a prayer for the children, doctors, nurses and all support staff at the hospital. If anyone has a request, we will light a candle, if not, we will do it generally for the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital and all the support staff,” Theron said.
Apart from one extra set of clothes, the women will be carrying tiny tiger teddy bears on their backpacks – a symbol of all the children at the hospital. “So that we can remember why we are doing this walk. When we have to wake up and it’s raining, or motivate ourselves, we will just say ‘it’s for the children and look at the little tiger and go’,” Theron said.
Theron said the tiny patients – sick babies – are what drives her to get up in the dark, icy mornings to train but will also be her driving force on their journey. “It is our investment in the children,” Theron said.
For Malan, it is a spiritual encounter. To walk like Jesus and his disciples did. “Once you start walking in their footsteps you start looking at it in a different way. If I can add another cause to it, it is worth so much more than a walk,” Malan said.
To pledge your support and donate visit: https://www.tygerbergchildren.org.za/donate/
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