Help our mom! Felice Klinkert’s melanoma cancer treatment fund

Our mom, Felice Klinkert, has Stage 4 melanoma cancer. She was first diagnosed with a melanoma tumour in November 2018, which was surgically removed. Her oncologist confirmed that she was cancer free through regular check-ups over the next year. Felice went for a routine mammogram exam in May 2020, and a new malignant melanoma tumour was discovered. Upon further examination, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma cancer that has mutated extremely quickly and spread throughout her body, in under 6 months.

Unfortunately, due to the type of cancer that she has, she cannot undergo the regular chemotherapy cancer treatment that medical aid covers. After thorough investigation, her oncologist advised that the only treatment option is with immunotherapy drugs - Tafinlar and Mekinist. Due to the cancer being linked to her genome, she will need to be on these drugs for the foreseeable future to stay alive. The drugs cost around R50 000 per month, and although Felice is on a top tier medical aid, they have declined the payment of the drugs since they are relatively new and not listed in their policy schedule. My mom is therefore in the unfortunate position that the length of her life is now dependant on money.

Felice is finishing her third month of treatment now, and we are seeing very positive results. When the cancer started affecting her, she was bed ridden and in immense pain every day. Since starting the medication she has been given a second life, she is walking, cooking and driving again. So we know that the treatment is highly successful and works with her body. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of the treatment per month, she has almost depleted her savings and is reaching the end of being able to afford this life-changing treatment.

Felice is a loving, incredible mother to two children and has spent her life in service to people and animals alike. Her job for the past 35 years has been as a senior medical technologist, and head of learning and development at a major medical organisation in South Africa. She has taught thousands of doctors in South Africa how to successfully do blood transfusions, and also lectures on this topic at major universities in Johannesburg. Felice and her twin sister Diana care for feral cat colonies around Johannesburg, making sure that they are neutered and spayed, are well fed, and have somewhere safe to sleep at night. Her passion for helping people and animals is doubtless to everyone that has met and knows her.

Our mom deserves all of her retirement years to relax and enjoy life. After her decades of service, hard work and raising children, we want to give her these well-earned years of rest and peace, to enjoy time with her family and her animals and do the things that are still on her bucket list.

We would like to appeal to Felice’s friends, colleagues, former students and anybody else that knows her to please donate money to support our mom’s cancer treatment. No donation is too small. All money will go directly into her fund for cancer treatment and will be managed by her daughter (me), and her twin sister Diana.

The banking details are:

Felice Fund (savings)

Capitec Bank

Account number 1719552450

Branch code 470010

If you have any queries, please contact:

Celine Klinkert (Daughter/Fund Organiser)

073 742 8832

[email protected]

Diana Oxley (Sister/Fund Organiser)

072 266 1596