Good Morning Angels: Diagnosed with osteoporosis, 16-year-old Emily gets surprise of a lifetime
Emily was diagnosed with Brittle Bone disease at the tender age of 18 months. In her short 16 years on this earth, Emily has had 55 fractures and bone breaks.
BACKGROUND:
Sixteen-year-old Emily Zawe is in Grade 10 at Clapham High School in Pretoria. Her teachers only have praise for her as a student and person. She has an amazing writing ability and has won an Ambassador Award for her poetry. In fact, two of her poems have been published. Emily stands out at school for another reason: she’s the only learner in a wheelchair at her mainstream school. She was diagnosed with Brittle Bone disease at the tender age of 18 months. In her short 16 year lifetime, Emily has had 55 fractures and bone breaks. As if this isn’t enough, two months ago, Emily was diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Emily has all the love and support she needs from her family. Her mom, Tamara, is an active member of the school governing body and never says no to assist. However, financially they struggle to keep life and limb together and Emily gets all her medical treatment from the Steve Biko Academic State Hospital.
Since the osteoporosis diagnosis, Emily’s ability to walk on her own has deteriorated to the point that she is mostly in a wheelchair, especially at school. She now needs a specialised wheelchair that can support her unstoppable motivation to excel in her frail, brittle body - and this needs her parents simply cannot afford.
REQUEST FOR: Emily Zawe
REQUEST FROM: Charmaine Jones
ANGEL: Tasoulla Hadjigeorgio, Director of LottoStar
SPONSORING: LottoStar will donate the R110,000 needed to secure the specialised electronic wheelchair Emily needs to continue her schooling and ability to excel!
ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Good Morning Jacaranda FM Team!
My name is Charmaine Jones and I work at Clapham High School, Queenswood, Pretoria. I am writing this mail with regards to one of our students, who is currently a learner at our school (Grade 10). Due to her illness, this young lady misses a lot of school.
Her mother, Mrs. Tamara Zawe serves on our Governing Body. She serves as the Chairperson and is very willing to give up her time for the school, without expecting anything in return, over and above her many challenges at home. Financially they are battling to meet medical expenses, and at this stage, Emily is in need of an electronic wheelchair.
Emily Zawe is a young lady born on the 30th of January 2003, diagnosed at about eighteen months old with brittle bone disease. She is 16 years old having had 55 fractures and ten surgeries on her femurs. In April 2019 she was then diagnosed with osteoporosis which is affecting every bone in her body, eyes, and ears. She currently receives treatment at Steve Biko.
Despite her challenges this remarkable young lady is currently attending Clapham High School and defying the odds of integration and inclusion in a school of able-bodied children with the support of her family and the school. In 2018 she achieved an Ambassador Award from the Pretoria Tshwane District for her poetry.
She is also an accomplished poet having had two poems published at Kalahari Review. Emily has also started a blog on Facebook recently.