My name is Reuben Bezuidenhout and we as a family, Mom Magda Bezuidenhout and sister Marissa Ricciardi are hoping to raise funds for my father, Marius Bezuidenhout who is currently fighting cancer. We love him dearly and want him to have a fighting chance to survive his cancer.
His journey began with being presented with a very sore shoulder/arm beginning of February 2021. Visits to the Drs Rooms yielded no answers and, he was sent for an ultrasound to check for a torn rotator cuff a small tear was found and he was sent for physio which ended up with him experiencing even more pain.
We then noticed that his right hand did not have much power and was referred to a Neuro-surgeon at short notice on the 1st March 2021. The Dr suggested a Limited MRI scan to check for a pinched nerve, we went for the limited MRI on the 3rd March 2021. The limited MRI showed a tumor on his T1 vertebrae and he was immediately sent for a CT Screening Scan a tumor was found on his liver and multiple lesions in the rest of his spine on T5 and Lumbar as well as the humerus bone, in his right arm bone behind his elbow and at his sacrum. Dr mentioned that the cancer had already eaten away at the humerus bone in his shoulder/arm.
Drs suspected Liposarcoma cancer and agreed that we would need to do a biopsy of the liver too confirm the type of cancer and the stage. We travelled to Hillcrest for the planned biopsy on the 11th March 2021 and for day admission to Hospital as Marius had to be still for 6 hours after the biopsy to monitor him and be sure that he does not start bleeding internally.
We then had to wait for the results, and it felt like an eternity before the Dr phoned. He informed us that the results of the biopsies were inconclusive as it showed “no malignant tumors”. The Dr was not happy with the results as the MRI and CT scans had presented with tumors and lesions, and therefore arranged, once again, for Marius to go for more biopsies, this time of the areas in his spine where the lesions were, as well as more samples of the liver and, also his shoulder/arm area where the humerus bone had been compromised.
We travelled to Hillcrest again on the 17th March 2021 for the biopsies, He was in so much pain and the Dr had prescribed morphine, but that did not even help to ease the pain. He cannot sit and can only lie on his one side. The pain in his lumbar/pelvic area where the one lesion is, is causing numbness in his right leg as well.
We saw the Oncologist on the 24th March at Hillcrest and he then confirmed that Marius has Angiosarcoma of the Liver (primary cancer) which had metastasized to his spine and arm.
It is a very, aggressive, rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the blood vessels and lymph vessels, which are part of your immune system. It can occur anywhere in your body, but mostly in the deeper tissue, such as the liver and the heart. As it is so aggressive, it may rapidly spread to other organs if left untreated. This cancer is not operable, and the life expectancy of the patient without treatment is between 6 to 9 months. The oncologist has advised that it is imperative that they start with radiotherapy as soon as possible as it will shrink the lesion on his lumbar spine and prevent Marius from becoming paralyzed and, also alleviate the extreme pain he is experiencing in his back.
We are no longer on a medical aid and we have been advised that there is an extremely long waiting period for the Government Hospitals Oncology department which will reduce Marius’s chance of survival significantly.
After this devastating news and amongst all, of the uncertainty, stress and the emotional rollercoaster and turmoil that we are experiencing, medical bills are flooding in!
The cost of the MRI, CT scans, hospital admission, biopsies and blood tests are exorbitant and caused even more anxiety, which is definitely, not what we need or can endure at this stage.
We are therefore asking humbly and hoping that we can raise some funds that would assist us with the medical bills, urgent radiotherapy treatment, future treatment as well as cover some of the day-to-day expenses, as with Marius being so ill, he can no longer work and therefore we are now left with no income.
We trust in the Lord and pray that He will provide us with the strength to continue this journey.
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