Pretoria - Two brothers and their mother were recently surprised with a helicopter ride of a lifetime by the Reach For A Dream Foundation, which made the dreams of a little boy suffering from leukaemia come true.
Exzevia Sibanda’s dreams of becoming a paramedic came a step closer when he was given the chance to fly in a helicopter. The 8-year-old, who is being treated for leukaemia, and his brother Guidance, 6, recently had the chance to be honorary members of the Netcare 911 flight crew for a day.
The emergency medical services provider teamed up with The Reach For A Dream Foundation, a leading non-profit organisation that fulfils the dreams of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses, to surprise the brothers from Philippi in the Western Cape, taking them and their mother on a once-in-a-lifetime flight around Cape Town.
This was done in a Netcare 911 emergency medical services helicopter.
“We really enjoyed it. When the ambulance came to pick us up from home it was already exciting for the boys.
“It really came as a surprise when one of the Netcare 911 crew announced we are going to the airport. We had no idea what was coming,” the boys’ mother, Susan Sibanda, recalled.
Erna Serfontein, a Netcare 911 emergency care technician who was part of the ambulance crew, said that it was heart-warming to see Exzevia and Guidance’s excitement.
“Their faces when we picked them up, and the way their eyes lit up just having a ride in the ambulance was so touching.”
After a quick tour of the Western Cape Netcare 911 Hems base, to the family’s amazement, Sibanda and her sons were ushered to a helicopter for a sightseeing flight around Cape Town.
“At first, the boys were a little scared, but it was such an exciting experience and we enjoyed it so much.”
In thanking Reach For A Dream and Netcare 911, the mother said they will remember this special day for a long time.
“We believe in the power of dreams and their ability to inspire hope even in the most challenging circumstances. When we learnt about Exzevia’s dream of becoming a paramedic, we knew we had to make it come true,” Heidi Rowley, Western Cape branch manager at Reach For A Dream, said.
The family has not had an easy time in recent months, as Exzevia is undergoing regular treatment. His superhero brother, Guidance, is a matching bone marrow donor for the transplant his brother so desperately needs.
“It was a privilege to help make this dream come true for Exzevia, and to include the gift of love and the hope Guidance is giving his older brother. He is the embodiment of a superhero,” Serfontein said.
Exzevia’s other dream was to own a laptop, and Netcare 911 staff rallied around to make this a reality too.
Dayne Olsen, Netcare 911 Western Cape HEMS manager, said: “When the family got back to the base, we were delighted to present this brave boy with a laptop, as well as a Netcare 911 teddy bear and accessories for both brothers to always remember the experience.”
Pretoria News