Guillain-Barré: Brits family starts fundraising project for paralysed mother
The family of 64-year-old Jean van Vuuren, who is severely paralysed and suffering from the Guillain-Barré Syndrome, has started a fundraising campaign in her name.
Van Vuuren spending a third week in an intensive care unit at a Pretoria hospital.
She was admitted a week after getting her Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Her physician, Dr Heidi Prinsloo, confirmed to Jacaranda FM News she has a severe form of the disease - which has been classified as one of the rare side-effects of the vaccine.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), it is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves.
It affects everyone but is more common in adults, 100 000 people across the world are affected annually.
Prinsloo said at this stage, they have not determined a causal relationship between the J&J shot and Van Vuuren's condition.
It is unclear when she will recover.
Her daughter, Melissa Panayotakis, said while she has medical aid, they are preparing for any eventuality.
"She does have medical aid, but we must still sit with the brokers and see up to what point they are going to pay for her medical bills. We went through the documents, and we saw that they only cover up to a certain amount for in-hospital treatment.
“They are supposed to pay everything, but we are not sure if they will pay for the rehab. And if she goes home, we must prepare the house for her because she might be in a wheelchair as well," she said.
Van Vuuren cannot communicate, or open her eyes, and is not strong enough to breathe on her own.
"There have been a few claims that have come through, she had a plasma treatment which was about R54 000, we need to query that and see if the medical aid is going to pay or not," Panayotakis.
"We have started the Jean van Vuuren trust fund and we getting it rolling at the moment, so many people are asking us why we need money, the thing is we don't know what tomorrow holds for us, we can say now that we don't want to do it and leave it to faith but when the bills start rolling in where will we get the money to pay for everything.
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