Some Personal Stuff

I know you come here for the cricket, but this is more important to me than the game

My son, Archimedes, doesn’t like cricket, but he loves attending cricket matches. He enjoys the atmosphere. Last year, he attended the Joburg Super Kings vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape match at the Wanderers, he still talks about it today. He talks of the Super Kings' chants and raves about Sarel Erwee. Erwee is officially his second-favourite cricketer of all time (sorry SJ). His favourite is Tabraiz Shamsi.

He is yet to meet Shamsi but has made contact with his hero. When he was in the hospital, he received a message from Shamo. It made him smile in a way I hadn't seen in a while. You see, my boy has been unwell since early December. He had nosebleeds, which we attributed to the extreme heat we have been experiencing lately. Then the nosebleeds became more frequent and severe. He went from being a healthy 11-year-old to a preteen without the energy to do much. His left cheek became swollen and his mouth couldn’t open properly.

After a couple of emergency hospital visits that turned into longish stays, tests, CT scans and bone marrow procedures, he was diagnosed with stage 3 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, an aggressive cancer that puts pressure on the sinuses and puts pressure on his jaw and neck.

It has been a mentally draining experience. Watching my son in pain has been one of the worst things I have experienced in my life. At times, the pain was so severe they gave him morphine at the hospital.

As it stands, he has just started his journey with chemotherapy, radiation will be added to his treatment in the next few weeks. We don't know the damage the cancer has had on his jaw, he might need some reconstruction work, but that's a bridge we will cross after we get to. At the moment, we need help with hospital and treatment fees. If you can help, you can do so here:

Every little helps. Also, please help by sharing our campaign. Thank you.