Good Morning Angels: A 'Little Warrior' gets Angel help after beating cancer
Six-year-old Jade 'Little Warrior' Ward cannot wait for her first school day after beating cancer...
Six-year-old Jade-Mari Ward is her parents Jason and Chrystal’s little miracle. They will not be taking her for her first day of school this morning - not yet. But, they know that it would be possible someday soon. Jade is not called 'Little Warrior Ward' lightly, as she’s beaten the cancer odds; growing stronger every day and her parents are overjoyed to tell her story as it unfolds.
After losing their baby son to the same illness some years ago, the Wards struggled to conceive and were over the moon when Jade was born in August 2016. However, only a few months later, they noticed that Jade wasn’t growing as she should. This was the start of many days and nights in doctors' rooms, blood tests, and hospital stays. Jade was born with only one kidney. Like her brother, her pituitary gland was not functioning and ultimately she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called, Fanconi Anaemia.
This disorder affected her bone marrow production and her only chance for survival was a bone marrow transplant. Despite financial challenges, her parents left no stone unturned and a bone marrow donor was found in Sweden. She spent most of 2022 in hospital and at the end of June 2022, Jade finally received her transplant. She spent another three and a half months in isolation in hospital and two weeks in ICU, but on 25 October she could finally go home!
Jade still goes for regular check-ups and her healing process is ongoing, but dad Jason and mom Chrystal cannot be happier with her progress.
They’ve been supported by friends, family, and strangers along the journey, for which they are eternally grateful. Despite being on medical aid, the medical bills were scary at times. At the end of last year, Good Morning Angels friends, Gerhard van der Westhuizen and Rayno Strauss together with participants of their annual Survivors Golf Day assisted the Wards with a generous donation of R200,000 towards Jade’s medical bills.
For now, they are just happy to spend every new day with Jade and look forward to the “normal” things in life, like Jade’s first day of school.
REQUEST FOR: 'Little Warrior' Jade Ward and her parents Jason and Chrystal Ward
REQUEST FROM: Various listeners including Adele van Staden
ANGEL: The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC
SPONSORING: The GMA Fund will assist Jade’s family with R30,000 towards expenses for whatever is needed on her road to recovery
ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Little Warrior Ward
Jade Ward is a bubbly, friendly, lovable, and sweet little girl who loves her dogs and playing with her dolls. But unfortunately, in her five short years of life, Jade and her family had to face many challenges.
Even before Jade was born, the family suffered a tremendous loss when they lost their little boy of only two months, due to genetic defects. After several years of trying to conceive, Chrystal Ward finally fell pregnant with Jade. Both Chrystal and Jason Ward were over the moon.
In August 2016, Jade-Mari Ward was born in Pretoria. However, shortly after Jade’s birth, the family noted that she was not growing and gaining weight as she was supposed to. After many doctor visits, scans, blood tests and consultations it was determined that Jade’s pituitary gland was not functioning as it was supposed to. This led to Jade not gaining weight and being a healthy toddler like everybody else. She was fed soup and shakes through a feeding tube via her nose for many years. Doctors eventually prescribed a growth hormone which Jade must receive daily until she reaches the age of 18 or stops growing, whichever might occur first. Due to the Medical Aid plan the family can afford, the growth hormone is not covered by the medical aid.
Recently Jade was also diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, called Fanconi Anaemia, a disease that affects the bone marrow and production of blood cells. In essence, Jade’s bone marrow is not producing enough red and white platelets. Every other month, Jade’s full blood count would drop dangerously low and then she would have to get a full blood transfusion. However, these days, Jade must go for blood transfusions every three - four weeks. This is not ideal, as too much “new” blood increases her iron levels in turn possibly leading to organ damage/failure. To complicate the situation further, Jade was also born with only one kidney.
To save little Jade’s life, she desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. According to her oncologists, Dr Reynders, Dr Omar and paediatrician Dr F French, within the next couple of months.
Whilst a suitable bone marrow donor is searched for and the necessary pre-approvals for the transplant are obtained from the medical aid, Jade must undergo regular hospital visits, blood tests, blood transfusions, covid tests, consultations with oncologists, endocrinologists, paediatricians and psychologists. Co-payments on medical bills, medicine and other necessities have overwhelmed the Ward family. On top of this, the monthly medical aid premium and the growth hormone need to be paid for.
Despite financial help, there is a major wish that the Ward family has. Jade has never been on a vacation, been at the beach or swam in the ocean. She has never sat on the beach with an ice cream while being spoiled on holiday. She has never felt the excitement of the days preceding a holiday as well as the thrill of packing and ensuring everything is ready for the trip.
We would love to provide her with an experience.
It has also been a desire for the Ward family to scatter the ashes of their late son in the ocean, but this could never happen due to them not being able to afford a breakaway such as this.
To assist the Ward family with their medical expenses and to possibly make their dream a reality, a Facebook page known as “Little Warrior Ward” was created, firstly to create awareness for people to please register and donate their bone marrow for Jade or somebody else. Secondly, the page was also created to ask for financial help.
Currently, there are several fundraisers planned for Jade and her family. However, time is against us. We need to make the Ward family’s dream come true before Jade needs the bone marrow transplant. Even if the transplant is successfully completed, she will still only have a 50% chance of her body completely accepting the bone marrow.
An account has been opened at Mason Attorney’s trust, where all donations are received and invested for Jade. The account details are as follows:
MASON ATTORNEYS INC.
STANDARD BANK
282762124
051001
REFERENCE: JADE WARD
We urge each and everybody to register as a bone marrow donor, which is free and not painful at all. Secondly, to please donate to the Ward family in our plight to firstly help make Jade’s wish and dream come true to swim in the ocean and build sandcastles like any other child would, as well as ease the tremendous financial strain little Jade’s illness has put on the Ward family.
Money will not heal Jade and make her a healthy and strong little girl, but the financial assistance that we can perhaps provide will go a long way in ensuring Jade receives the best medical treatment after this mountain was put before the Ward family.
If all else fails, we can only hope all people that hear of Jade and her fight will keep her and her parents in their prayers.
Thank you,
Adele van Staden
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