Online Reporter
Muchaneta Chimuka
Herald Reporter
A 13-YEAR-OLD Nettleton Junior School learner, Shalom Onoja, who was appealing for R50 000 to undergo surgery in South Africa to deal with rare bone cancer, had her leg amputated on Monday after well-wishers contributed a deposit of R20 000 that was required for the surgery to proceed.
Her father, Mr Joe Phiri, said as a family they are grateful to those who have contributed towards the deposit, Moreboys and group, a South African-based Funeral Service Company, which contributed R5 500, an anonymous donor from the UK who gave R5 000 and another anonymous donor from Australia who chipped in with R10 000.
“We still need to raise the balance of R30 000 and we are still appealing for well-wishers to chip in. We are quite relieved that our daughter was successfully operated on,” he said.
He said Shalom was diagnosed with bone cancer in August 2024 in South Africa and they initially opted for bone salvage surgery in India.
Mr Phiri said they mobilised US$6 500 from Nyaradzo Group, Pahushamwari Hwedu, Women in UK and the corporate world, but unfortunately, delays and additional medical expenses forced them to return to Zimbabwe.
He said they ultimately had to consider amputation in South Africa to save her life as the tumour had grown too big and she was now bedridden.
Her illness is said to have started when she bumped into something hard and started feeling pain in her knee, which then started swelling until her parents took her to the hospital, where tests were done and she was diagnosed with bone cancer.
“We took her to a hospital in India, where she was supposed to have a surgery, but the doctors there increased the amount of money required from US$6 500 to US$14 000,” he said
“They told us that she no longer requires bone salvage surgery but an implant because we had delayed in taking her to India and they had to redo the tests, which were once done in South Africa, hence most of the money we had was spent on tests and chemotherapy.”
He said when the doctors realised that they failed to raise the money, their daughter was discharged and they went back to the hospital in South Africa, where the doctors told them that the bone could not be saved and they had to amputate the leg.
“In South Africa, she was admitted to a smaller hospital and they were saying there were not enough beds at the Johannesburg Hospital,” he said..
“But I thank God my daughter was operated on and we hope for the better. We have other children in Zimbabwe who need to be taken care of, and it’s difficult.”
Those who would like to help, feel free to contact her mother, Ndakadashe Nyaradzo Shumba, on her WhatsApp: +263783896440 or to call on: +27603044582 . The donations can be made via Ecocash, E – Wallet, Mujuru or World Remit platforms.
