Good Morning Angels: Innibos community unites to help three-year-old Antoiné breathe easier

BACKGROUND:  Hundreds of emails have been sent to Good Morning Angels asking for assistance for the Dingle family. 

Antoiné has been diagnosed with a very rare condition that makes breathing a daily struggle. Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, Central Apnea Hypopne Syndrome, Suppressed Autonomic Nervous System, and a Low Immune system.

She currently breathes through a trachea - which is basically a hole in her throat with a pipe. This needs to be removed and cleaned regularly - which is extremely painful. However, without it, Antoiné would not be able to breathe - especially when she sleeps.

Her parents have found a device called a "Diaphragm pacemaker” - but this is only available in the USA at a cost of R500,000. They cannot afford this, and the community has been trying to raise funds for months.

REQUEST FROM: Various Jacaranda FM listeners and Marelize Kotzé 

REQUEST FOR: Three-year-old Antoiné Dingle

ANGEL 1: Lions Club Nelspruit. Sandra Jacobs, Innibos

SPONSORING: The Lions Club in Nelspruit will donate R10,000 towards Antoiné’s medical expenses. 

ANGEL 2: Sandra Jacobs, Innibos

SPONSORING: The 2018 Innibos Festival ends on Sunday evening, 1 July, with a free concert in the Nelspruit Botanical Gardens. As is the tradition, concertgoers will be asked to make donations to a charitable cause in the Laeveld area. This year, all donations raised at the Sunday evening Innibos Afsluit-konsert, will be donated towards Antoiné Dingle’s medical treatment. 

ANGEL 3: YOU CAN HELP!

If you are attending Innibos from 27 June to 1 July 2018, you can drop your pledge for Antoiné Dingle in the special pledge box at the Jacaranda FM broadcast van.

Donations can also be made to the fundraising bank account created for Antoiné.

BANKING DETAIL:

Account name: Miss A Dingle 

Bank: Capitec Bank

Account nr: 154 839 2020

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Good morning, Good morning Angels.

Here is a little angel on earth, her name is Antoiné Dingle.

Follow her journey here: 

She was also on the news: 

3 Year old Antoiné suffers from a very rare, and life threatening condition called CONGENITAL CENTRAL HYPOVENTILATION SYNDROME.  In Laymen’s terms.  Antoiné has Apnea which causes her to stop breathing as well as Hypoventilation which means she breathes too slowly.  The lowered levels of oxygen causes damage to her internal organs.  Antoiné’s automatic nervous system is also not functioning at full capacity.

Without proper treatment, Antioné will suffer brain damage, heart failure and damage to all other major organs.  There are only 1200 cases in the world which means that the medical aids do not acknowledge her illness and subsequently do not allow pay out for related treatments.

On the 13^th of April 2018, Antoiné had a procedure called Tracheostomy, (a tube inserted through the front of her neck to carry air to her lungs). The trachea tube proves to be very challenging as it constantly comes undone and needs then to be inserted back in, which is not only traumatic for Antoine, but extremely painful.  It is al so daunting to accept the fact that she will never be able to swim, or play as normal children would.  She will be extremely susceptible to lung infections. 

She currently has an infection, due to the Trachea and has been admitted to hospital. 

Apart from the Trachea Tube, there is another procedure that is being considered, which is called a Diaphragm Pacemaker.  Her parents Melanie Dingle and Attie will require about R500 000 for this procedure, as the unit can only be obtained from California USA.

We are having fund raisers, donations and fun walks / runs in aid to assist with this money to obtain this Pacemaker, but it is going very slow and this little girl is suffering.

Please consider Antoiné for Good Morning Angels.  I do believe there is such a big need for many people in our country, my heart is broken for this girl, she is strong throughout everything, her little spirit prevails though her parents tears, but she can only take this much.

Thank you for reading this,

Much love and Grace,

Thereza Bekker

Another request:

Goeie môre, Angels!

Vandag wil ek julle graag voorstel aan die drie-jarige Antoiné Dingle. Hierdie klein mense het in haar kort lewetjie al meer mediese toetse ondergaan as wat die gemiddelde mens in 'n leeftyd nie eers van hoor nie. 

Van geboorte af is dit die een toets na die ander om te probeer vasstel wat fout is. Sy sukkel met epillepsie.  En ja, baie mense leef daarmee saam, maar in Nétjie (soos ons almal haar noem) se geval, hou sy op asemhaal met elke aanval. 

Sy slaap in die nag op 'n monitor omdat haar suurstofvlakke so laag daal dat dit lewensgevaarlik is. Sy is hierdie week weer in die Busamed Privaat Hospitaal in Modderfontein opgeneem vir nog toetse om te probeer vasstel wat fout is.

Eers is daar vermoed dat daar 'n fout in die brein is, toe begin hulle wonder of die probleem nie dalk by die hart lê nie...

Sy is egter gister gediagnoseer met CENTRAL APNEA Hypopnea Syndrome en die enigste behandling daarvoor is 'n Tracheotomy.

Haar mamma Melanie Dingle is seker een van die selfloosste mense wat ek ken. Sy gee en gee en gee - sonder om ooit iets van iemand anders te vra. Maar vandag is sy die een wat hulp nodig het.

Boetie en sussie is in Witrivier by pappa, terwyl mamma en Antoiné in Modderfontein moet regkom.  Finansieël sukkel hulle reeds en Melanie moet sonder vervoer klaarkom by die hospitaal en slaap by Antoiné in die kamer. Sy het aanvanklik reggemaak om net vir 'n dag daar te wees vir een toets, nou trek ons al 'n week later en daar is nog nie sekerheid van wanneer sy sal kan huis toe kom nie. Sy sal moontlik kan baat vind by behandeling in die UK, maar finansieël is dit net eenvoudig nie 'n opsie vir hierdie mense nie.

Antoiné gaan later hierdie week teater toe vir die Trachotomy prosedure en sal daarna nog 'n paar dae in ICU moet deurbring. Dan ontvang mamma opleiding van hoe om die tragia skoon te hou en dan behoort hulle reg te wees om huis toe te kom. Daarna moet sy maandeliks terug gaan Modderfontein toe vir opvolg besoeke by haar dokter, Dr. Ponde.

Ek voel so hulpeloos, want ek sien hoe die hele gesin swaarkry...

Ek weet ook nie regtig waarvoor om te vra nie, so hier is my "wish-list" en al kan ons hulp kry met één item op die lysie sal dit ongelooflik wees.

1. Gebede

2. Miskien 'n aand of twee van bederf vir mamma en pappa, want maak nie saak hoe sterk hulle liefde vir mekaar is nie, geen huwelik kan al hierdie spanning hanteer sonder om krake te wys nie

3. Bederfie vir Antoiné - sy is mal oor hasies

4. Boetie en sussie kry ook swaar - miskien iets om hulle te bederf en spesiaal te laat voel

5. Melanie sit dag in en dag uit by Antoiné in die hospitaal, dalk sommer net vir haar 'n lekker bederfie daar in die kamer?

6. En dan finansiële hulp - die mediese kostes hardloop weg en die einde is nog nie eers in sig nie.

Antoiné was in my klas gewees by die kleuterskool en hierdie mensie lê my baie na aan die hart. Sy het so 'n borrellende persoonlikheid en verdien om soos haar maatjies rond te hardloop en speel.

Baie dankie vir die goeie werk wat julle doen

Vriendelike groete,

Marelize

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