In celebration of Youth Day today (16 June), we would like to share the story of a young man who strives to inspire his generation and the future leaders of our society.
Meet Siya Jantjies, a 15-year-old teenager from Newlands, Cape Town who lives a vibrant and joyful life today, thanks to the life-saving treatment that he received at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. At just 3-years-old, Siya was accidentally run over by a car. He was immediately rushed to the Emergency Centre at the Hospital where he received life-saving treatment that allowed him to return home to his family.
12 years later, Siya felt that he wanted to give back to the medical staff that saved his life and the Hospital who saves the lives of so many children each day. He decided to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Trust during lockdown. This entailed a challenging 100km run on a treadmill over a period of 10 days. Siya asked friends, family and the public in general to donate to the initiative via backabuddy and he raised a total of R 28 344.61.
When asked why he decided to give back in this way, Siya said, “There’s no better way for me to thank them for what they did. I was terrified that I may lose my life as a result of the car crash but the dedicated and compassionate staff at the Hospital made sure that wasn’t going to happen”.
He adds: “What Red Cross War Memorial Children Hospital is doing is incredible. I see this Hospital and its medical staff as my heroes. Thank you for giving me a second chance, I will not waste it.”
Currently, the Emergency Centre is not adequately equipped to support the many children coming through its doors like Siya due to limited space, overcrowding and inefficient logistics. The upgrade is especially urgent now with the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Centre is the first point of entry for patients arriving at the Hospital.
Siya is appealing to the youth and future leaders of South Africa to donate towards the upgrade of the Centre. “There’s no better time to showcase your sense of social responsibility by giving hope and healing to the most vulnerable in society – the children”, says Siya.
On behalf of the Children’s Hospital Trust we want to thank Siya for his incredible support for the Hospital. The Children’s Hospital Trust is a non-profit organisation established in 1994 to raise funds to help advance child healthcare through the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. 100% of all donations go directly to the Hospital and prioritised paediatric healthcare needs, and not a single cent is spent on administration costs.
Please donate today, and help make a tangible difference.
