Woman will walk from Joburg to Cape Town to raise funds for husband's disease
Nicole Liedemann Telukram, 37, has embarked on a journey to walk from Joburg to Cape Town to raise funds and awareness about her husband's rare disease Adiposis Dolorosa, also known as Dercum's disease.
Telukram's husband, Shawn, 39, was diagnosed with the rare disease in 2021 after struggling with lipomas for most of his life.
Dercum's disease is a rare condition characterised by multiple, painful growths of fatty tissues (lipomas). The cause is unknown, and there's no cure . The only way to manage the disease is to monitor the symptoms, which may include paralysis.
Telukram said doctors didn't know what was wrong with Shawn until 2021, when his condition worsened and he was diagnosed with Dercum's disease.
'Between 2020 and 2021, it started affecting him and his job; the pain was extreme, and he couldn't focus. He was struggling to do the bare minimum,' she told TimesLIVE.
'It's affecting his mobility, his brain, it's affecting his whole life. We went from a normal family with beautiful children, not thinking something like this would ever happen. This curveball came out of nowhere.'
The mother of seven said their lives took a drastic turn afterwards.
'Three weeks after his diagnosis, he was dismissed for insubordination at work; he was an accountant. They told him they didn't believe there was something wrong with him and that he was just making it up.
'Losing his income caused him to go into depression. I also had to stop going to work because I had to take care of him and our children.'
Despite having no previous experience in walking long distances, Telukram is determined to achieve her goal. She said she has been training since January to get her mind and body ready for the challenge.
'The past two-and-a-half months trying to get everyone to take me seriously, it has been challenging. I had so many doors closed in my face, but it hasn't stopped me — it just kept me going.
'I have a small group of supporters, but I have had moments where I cried and asked God if I was making a good decision.'
She will walk for 45 days, starting on Wednesday, and will be accompanied by her friend Paballo Mahoa, who will be driving behind her with her dog to make sure she's safe.
She said she's hoping to raise a total of R500,000, of which half would go to Rare Disease South Africa and half to research for Dercum's disease in the hope of finding a cure for it.
' It's not just about the walk; it's about women's empowerment and raising awareness for the disabled. I'm walking for those who can't walk. I'm being the voice for those who are tired.'
She pleaded with those who can help to support the cause by donating money that will cover her accommodation and other necessities.
Telukram's BackaBuddy account is up and running for those who wish to donate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Mpumalanga mother awarded R540,000 after negligence leads to child's cerebral palsy
The mother of a little boy born with cerebral palsy, who was in a wheel chair up to his death at six-years-old, will get R540 000 in damages from the health authorities. Image: File The Mpumalanga MEC for Health has to pay a mother R540,000 in damages after her baby boy was born with cerebral palsy due to the negligence of the staff at a government hospital in the province. The mother initially claimed R4 million in damages before the Mpumalanga High Court, which was sitting in Mbombela. Her child had, meanwhile, died at the age of six, and the mother only claimed general damages on behalf of herself for the hardships she had to endure while looking after the child until his death. The court earlier ruled that the provincial health authority was liable for 90% of the damages the mother could prove she had suffered. The mother blamed the fact that her son was born with brain damage on the negligence of the medical personnel at the Embhuleni hospital. It was found that the negligence culminated in the child developing cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen at birth. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The mother was admitted to the hospital in February 2017 to deliver her baby. Following her admission to the hospital, the plaintiff endured prolonged hours of labour. The result was that the then-unborn baby suffered foetal distress and brain injury, as a result of which he suffered permanent brain damage, disability, and cerebral palsy. In determining the amount of damages payable to her, various experts, including a specialist physician, a neurosurgeon, a physiotherapist, and an occupational therapist, gave their inputs to the court. The experts saw the child when he was five, a year before his death. It was noted that he could not communicate, and he was multi-disabled with severe intellectual impairment. He was unable to move independently, had to be fed by others, and was incontinent. The child was unable to lift his head when placed in a prone position. He could not sit, stand, crawl, or roll, and he was wheelchair-bound.
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- The Citizen
Government slammed for not employing health inspectors as food poisoning incidents rise
Unemployed health inspectors say lives are at risk due to government inaction. With South Africa facing a looming food safety crisis – with increasing incidents of food poisoning – the government continues to 'ignore' that there are not enough environmental health inspectors, unemployed practitioners say. This follows allegations that the government has failed to keep its promise after announcing last year it had set aside R205 million to employ 520 health inspectors to address the rampant outbreak of foodborne cases that had led to the deaths of 22 children and hundreds being hospitalised. The announcement came after the food poisoning outbreak was declared a national disaster. Environmental health inspectors are employed by the department of health and deployed in different municipalities. Their job is to protect the public against foodborne diseases. Qualified but unemployed A 30-year-old unemployed environmental health inspector, who wished to remain anonymous fearing reprisal, said she completed an environmental health practitioner degree at Mangosuthu University of Technology several years ago, but has not got a job. 'After completing my studies, I joined a group of graduates doing community service training for a year. But after that we did not get jobs. I am frustrated because we all see that our services are needed but the government does not want to employ us. 'Looking at the rising number of foodborne poisoning cases tells you that something is wrong and there is a need to employ health inspectors. Our job is to make sure that businesses and other entities comply with public health laws to prevent the spread of diseases and ensure that the public is safe. 'First line of defence' 'We are the first line of defence when it comes to making sure that residents are safe from foodborne and related problems. Now, the government has said the spaza shops and other small businesses should be regulated but with the low number of health inspectors, how are they going to do that?' She said the deaths of children due to food poisoning and the rising number of cases could have been avoided if there were enough health inspectors. NOW READ: Manufacturer agrees to R500 000 fine for supplying contaminated peanut butter Unused skills and suspended practitioners Another unemployed practitioner, a 28-year-old who has an environmental health practitioner's BSc from Tshwane University of Technology, said it was painful to know that he had skills that could save lives but he was unemployed. He said he was one of the practitioners who could not pay his accreditation fee to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). 'I know of some people who owe the HPCSA more than R15 000 each and they were suspended, meaning they are no longer allowed to work as health practitioners until they pay to regain their membership,' he said. Recently, environmental health graduates from different provinces staged a march and demonstrated at the head offices of the department of health and the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, demanding that they be employed. Speaking on behalf of the unemployed graduates, Zandi Dlamini said it's been some time since they submitted the memorandum but there has still been no response. Consumers left vulnerable Dlamini accused the government of contravening the National Health Act, Section 24 of the constitution of South Africa and the standards of the World Health Organisation. 'This leaves consumers vulnerable to foodborne disease outbreaks, as well as other environmental health issues threatening public health,' said Dlamini. 'About 3 000 cases of food poisoning illnesses were reported to the notifiable medical conditions system. According to the South African Local Government Association, only 1 651 practitioners are employed out of 6 300. 'The country has 4 116 inspectors registered with the HPCSA and ready to serve.' Department of health spokesperson Foster Mohale did not respond to questions sent to him. NOW READ: Mpumalanga primary school pupils treated for food poisoning after eating oranges
The South African
a day ago
- The South African
Peanut butter producer fined R500K for contaminated products
House of Natural Butters has agreed to pay a R500 000 penalty after a product safety investigation found that several peanut butter products contained high levels of aflatoxin, a toxic substance produced by types of moulds. As reported by Cape Town Etc , the National Consumer Tribunal (NCT) recently confirmed that it had approved a settlement agreement made earlier this year between House of Natural Butters and the National Consumer Commission (NCC). The peanut butter manufacturer reportedly accepted the fine without contest. The peanut butter products were recalled in early February last year, when both Pick n Pay and Dis-Chem pulled certain peanut butter jars off shelves due to alarmingly high aflatoxin levels. Afloxin, a group of poisonous mycotoxins produced by certain moulds, can lead to nausea, vomiting and even long-term health damage when consumed in high doses. The recalled products included Dischem's Lifestyle 400 grams Smooth and Crunchy, Dischem's Lifestyle 800 grams Smooth and Crunchy, Wazoogles Superfoods (all sizes from 32g to 20kg), Pick n' Pay's No Name 1kg Smooth, and Eden All Natural. IOL also reported that the NCC investigation also found that between 11 May, 2023 and 6 November, 2023, House of Natural Butters had 'imported and supplied contaminated, decayed and impure peanuts, groundnuts and byproducts to South African consumers through various retailers.' Consumers have been urged to check their homes for affected products. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
