Tag: fundraising

Categories : Cancer General InterestTags :

The Spirit of Giving Shines at PinkDrive’s Christmas in July Fundraiser

On By ModernMedia
Koo Govender, Non-Executive Board Member and CEO of Publicis Groupe

The spirit of Christmas was alive and well at PinkDrive’s annual Christmas in July fundraiser dinner, recently held at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg. Twinkling fairy lights, festive décor, generous giving and heartfelt stories created an atmosphere of hope, reminding guests that the greatest gift anyone can give is the chance to save a life.

Supported by long-standing corporate partners, the themed ‘Night of Giving Back’ once again united business, cancer survivors and the community behind PinkDrive’s mission to make early cancer detection accessible to more South Africans.

Each year, this non-profit organisation (NPO) makes a measurable difference to thousands of lives.  Relying on donations, corporate sponsorships and community support, it’s dedicated to the early detection of gender-related cancers in underserved communities. PinkDrives mobile units travel across the country, offering screenings such as mammograms, clinical breast examinations, pap smears, and PSA testing directly to people who might otherwise have limited access to healthcare.

The evening struck a thoughtful balance between festive celebration and meaningful reflection, honouring cancer survivors while remembering those who lost their lives to the disease. One of the most moving moments came through a testimonial video featuring women whose lives were saved thanks to PinkDrive’s mobile screening units. Their stories vividly illustrated the impact of accessible healthcare and reinforced the organisation’s commitment to taking cancer screening to communities where it is needed most.

The message was echoed by guest speaker Nicole Fuller, elite athlete and cancer survivor, who shared her personal journey following an early diagnosis that enabled her to avoid chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Inspired by her own experience, Fuller has since become the first South African to receive specialist training in cancer recovery and rehabilitation. Encouraging guests to prioritise regular screenings, she highlighted how early detection, combined with appropriate rehabilitation and physical activity, can significantly improve both recovery and long-term wellbeing.

An address by Koo Govender, Non-Executive Board Member and CEO of Publicis Groupe, spoke to the strength of PinkDrive’s leadership and the collective expertise steering its mission. Sound governance and committed partnerships, she noted, are what allow the NPO to keep expanding its reach and deepening its impact.

Closing the formal programme, PinkDrive founder and CEO Noelene Kotschan took guests back to where it all began: a single mobile screening unit, and a mission to reach those that healthcare so often overlooks. From that modest start, she traced PinkDrive’s growth into a nationally recognised force in cancer awareness and early detection. She closed with heartfelt thanks to all those whose continued support keeps that mission alive.

The fundraiser’s philanthropic spirit continued throughout the evening with raffle draws and a lively auction at the end.  Guests bid enthusiastically for luxury prizes including diamond earrings and dream holiday experiences, helping to raise significant funds for PinkDrive’s awareness, education and mobile screening programmes.

To add to the Christmas spirit, spot prizes and hampers, generously sponsored by PinkDrive’s corporate partners, sent guests home with some festive spoils too. And as part of its ongoing support, Lee-Chem Laboratories, through its Mandy’s brand, ensured every guest received a generously filled Mandy’s goodie bag, adding another thoughtful touch to an evening centred on generosity, hope and community.

For Lee-Chem, that generosity runs deeper than a gesture on the night.

“You can’t put a price on the moment someone gets the all-clear because they were screened in time. That’s what keeps us partnering with PinkDrive year after year, and why we’re proud to stand with so many others who believe in that same mission,” says Bhavna Sanker, Marketing Manager at Lee-Chem Laboratories.

Because while Christmas may only appear on the calendar once a year, the spirit of giving and the opportunity to change someone’s future are always in season.

Categories : General Interest Mental HealthTags :

SA Man’s Epic Coastal Run For Mental Health Charity

On By ModernMedia

One South African man, who, like many South Africans, suffered from COVID-related anxiety, is looking to set a running world record as he runs along the South African coastline in order raise funds for a mental health charity.

The lockdown was hard on millions of South African, including restauranteur Henry Cock. It forced the closure of his restaurants, leaving his employees without income. But even before the stresses of lockdown, he had been suffering from severe anxiety, and in 2019 had started seeing a therapist.

As with so many people faced with the unexpected hardships of lockdown, he came up with a way to help his employees. He aimed to raise R80 000 for them through a innovative campaign, which involved Cock ‘running the Comrades Marathon’ — consisting of some 6000 laps up and down his own passageway to make up the 90km.

Though no less a gruelling undertaking than doing it outdoors, this turned out to be more successful than anticipated.

“In the end, we managed to raise R120 000,” he related. “It took eleven hours. Eleven hours of running back and forth across a 15-metre passage with just a few short breaks to eat and rest my legs,” he said.

With only his walls to look at during his hours of running, the 34-year-old had time to think about helping out others in light of the mental health challenges he himself had experienced.

Cock has started the ‘Mentally Aweh’ campaign to raise funds for South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), an organisation that provides free counselling to thousands of South Africans on a daily basis. His inspiration was the Terry Fox Initative, started by Canadian Terry Fox, who attempted to run across that vast country to raise funds for cancer research, though he passed away before he could complete it.

“I will be running the length of the South African coastline, from Kosi Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to Vioolsdrift near the Namibia border, to raise awareness for mental health and raise R6 million for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group,” Cock told Health-e News.

And the unmet need is vast. As he explained on his fundraising page, only a shocking 0.89% of the uninsured South African population has access to free mental health care.

Call volumes doubled since lockdown

SADAG senior counsellor Fatima Seedat said that call volumes had doubled since the start of lockdown.

“We used to receive 600 calls a day. When we entered the pandemic, with lockdown, we were getting over 1200 calls a day. That’s excluding the emails we receive, the SMSes received, and the WhatsApp messages that we receive on a daily basis. We have had around 500,000 calls since lockdown until now.”

Because it is toll free, SADAG’s phone bill runs up to R120 000 each month, so Cock’s mission to raise R6 million will help greatly.

“It is an absolutely amazing initiative,” said Seedat. “Henry is an inspiration for standing up for mental health, because that alone breaks a lot of barriers and boundaries.”

Mental health in South Africa

A third of South Africans will experience a mental health issue during their lifetime, according to SADAG. Depression and anxiety are also considered as mental illnesses, and are much more common than believed.

Cock endured his own mental strain during the lockdown; financial uncertainty, the ending of a long-term relationship, and the illness of a family member all set off his battle with anxiety.

“I was in a very bad space last year, like a very bad space. I was struggling. You get to a point when you’re an anxiety sufferer that you just think this is normal. You just think that this state of being is normal, but it’s not normal,” he said.

This is a pattern that Alexa Scher, a clinical psychologist in private practice, often sees.

“I think there is a lot under the surface that blocks people from actually saying, you know what, I’m not okay. We are usually scared to acknowledge and admit that and notice that in ourselves, so it can creep in invisibly, and then all of a sudden, you’re crying all the time, and then you think, ‘Oh, yeah, maybe this isn’t actually normal.’”

She advised that one should seek help when their state of mind begins to impact their ability to function. 

Free help is available

While Cock was able to seek help, the majority of South Africans cannot access mental health treatment, which is why he is trying to help SADAG.

The organisation operates the only suicide crisis line in the country, and also has a 24-hour toll-free telephonic, SMS, and WhatsApp lines.

“We reach people not only in your urban areas, but deep rural areas. People are really in need of help in rural areas because there are not many resources available. So we try to help as many people as we can, by reaching out to everyone,” Seedat explained.

SADAG has about 200 volunteers working in shifts, and all go through a screening process.

While Cock will hit the road solo, and does feel a certain pressure to succeed within the 133 days, he said he is using his emotions to motivate himself.

“I channel all of that energy into days when I’m feeling down or feeling bad. I remind myself that I’m not doing it just for me — I’m doing it to raise awareness for these people that really struggle and don’t have access to the same resources that I do,” he said.

“No matter how dark it is, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Reach out. You’ll be surprised how much help you actually receive if you just ask.”

Henry Cock’s journey can be followed on Instagram at @cock.henry.

SADAG can be reached on 0800 567 567.

Source: Health-e News

Categories : General InterestTags :

Wrangle Over GoFundMe For Family of Deceased Nurse

On By ModernMedia

The family of a pregnant nurse who died with COVID have yet to receive any money from a GoFundMe campaign that names them as beneficiaries.

Mary Agyapong, 28, died after giving birth in April 2020 at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where she worked. At 35 weeks pregnant, she was admitted to hospital April 5 after having collapsed with breathing difficulties, but was discharged the same day, despite her misgivings. She was readmitted two days later with COVID symptoms. She gave birth to a daughter by Caesarean section and was then transferred to intensive care on April 8, where she died four days later.

On April 15, family friend Rhoda Asiedu set up a GoFundMe page to support “Mary’s husband, and the couple’s children… during this heavy and trying time”, and has raised more than £186 000 (R3 720 000). This money had been placed into a trust, according to her lawyers.

Ms Agyapong’s widower said he found it “surprising” he had not been involved.

Coroner Emma Whitting, at an inquest held last month, said that it was “unclear” how mother-of-two Ms Agyapong contracted COVID before her death. She then urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to begin a public inquiry into the pandemic.

The funds raised were paid to Ms Asiedu’s legal team, Blue Trinity, who said it had been placed “on trust” for the education of Ms Agyapong’s children and that 80% would be released when they turned 21. The remaining 20% would be provided to Ms Agyapong’s widower Ernest Boateng for “maintenance and upkeep” of the children, but he had “failed to co-operate with the trustees to arrange a schedule of maintenance”.
Blue Trinity however has not responded to requests from the BBC or Mr Boateng’s legal team to see the trust documents.

“I just try to keep my head above the water,” said Mr Boateng, who is studying law. “I find it very surprising that we have not been asked or involved with this GoFundMe money – it’s beyond my understanding.”

GoFundMe stated that it was clear from the outset that the money would be placed in a trust, adding: “Our records show the wording of the page has not been changed since it launched on 15 April 2020.”

However, an archived snapshot of the webpage on 16 April found by the BBC made no reference to a trust at all. When fundraiser Ms Asiedu was contacted by the BBC, she directed media requests to her legal team.

Source: BBC News