Zoë

When I first found out I was six weeks pregnant, I was overwhelmed. As a single mother already struggling emotionally, mentally, and financially, I felt I couldn’t handle another child. But life had other plans.

My daughter was born prematurely at just 30 weeks and faced immediate and severe complications. Her tiny lungs were underdeveloped, and she had to be resuscitated twice at birth. She spent two long, heartbreaking months in the ICU, fighting for every breath with the help of machines. But she made it. She is now a strong, determined little girl — full of life and with an incredible will to survive.

However, one of the lasting challenges she faces is her hearing. She is now four years old and is unable to hear or speak. We have been on a waiting list at Tygerberg Hospital for over a year, hoping for help. But time is not on our side — she needs to be enrolled in school next year, and a mainstream school is not an option without addressing her hearing first.

The only viable path forward is to pursue private medical treatment for her ears, but unfortunately,...