Jess's Get Well Soon Fund

It's been almost a year since Jess was diagnosed with brain cancer. It's been an extremely challenging 10 months but Jess has shown bravery beyond words. We are now fighting the re-growth and a new tumour that has occurred.

Those of you who have donated already will notice we have increased the total significantly, that is due to the new treatment plan which will cost us $20,000 a month (R200,000 per month!) It's a radical treatment plan with great scientific results but no clinical trials. We simply don't have time to wait for this treatment to be comprehensively tested. Jess is the trial. Every single cent donated counts. Every share of our story counts. However you can help us, is appreciated.

In my lifetime I have been challenged with a few frightening situations. Like being caught inside at 15 foot Pipeline, like being hijacked with shots fired, armed robbers breaking into my house, being held up at knife point in the street.

Nothing comes close to the terrifying sight I saw on Saturday the 9th of February 2013 when my wife and soul mate, Jessica, suffered a massive seizure out of the blue. The timeline of events that followed has left me here ... Sitting next a hospital bed in neuro ICU eight days later, while Jess recovers from brain surgery.

Turns out she had a brain tumor... And because it was on the dominant left hand side of the brain, it ruptured, causing the seizure, causing us to rush her to hospital and have a CT scan. That seizure it turns out, saved her life. The tumor, a grade 4 glioblastoma, would have quadrupled in the following months, and left me without my best friend, and a mother for our most beautiful special kids.

I thought I had life all figured out, had the t's crossed and the i's dotted.

I didn't.

My first mistake was that I have taken this incredibly special family for granted. I can do better, I want to do better.

My second is that I underestimated the value of having complete health security for my family. I have medical aid, but it's not comprehensive, and as it so happens there is a shortfall.

Furthermore Jess is an incredibly driven, motivated, self employed fashion designer. Unfortunately the tumor was highly malignant, which means she is heading into a few years worth of Chemo and radiation starting immediately. That means life must change for us. Jess needs to focus all her strength into fighting this cancer, and that means we need help, and despite my pride and being brought up to stand on my own two feet, I want my wife to be around more than any of that.

So this is me asking for help, to cover the shortfall , to build a support structure, so Jess can get the care she needs, and keep our family together.