Help our two year old daughter Langa fight a brain tumor

Good day, my name is Tinashe Ben Muchedzi, and I’m fundraising for my two year old first born daughter Langa who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

In December 2023, we noticed that she was not progressing well in terms of her growth, resulting in regression of milestones as her body was seemingly shutting down gradually over time. She wasn’t as playful, irritable more than often too and would sleep for most of the day and night.

After numerous visits, examinations, diet fortification, tonsillectomy, over the past few months it resulted in her hospitalization on the 8th of April. The diagnosis at the time was NOSAM being Non Odemia Severe Acute Malnutrition. The indications and expectations for treatment and recovery was 2 week’s hospitalization, and while she showed improvement, her progress was not satisfactory according to the doctors looking after her.

This prompted further and deeper examination as her head began to swell and resulted in the ordering of an MRI scan which revealed the unimaginable for our baby girl amid the discovery of a brain tumor.

The type of tumor is called An Optic Nerve Glioma which is a slow growing brain tumor that arises in or around the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. As the tumor progresses, it presses on the optic nerve, causing a child's vision to lessen and cause long term effects of her vision. The growth of the tumor has caused a blockage of the drainage system of water in the brain, as the water continues to be produced it has nowhere to go and thus causes the swelling as it accumulates. The tumor is also causing pressure as it sits directly on the pituitary nerve cell which controls all hormones for growth and development in the body, and due to the pressure has caused the regression in mobility, talking, and eating.

She immediately had emergency surgery on April 25th whereby they placed a shunt(tube) to bypass the blockage caused by the tumor and drain the excess water from her brain to release the pressure allowing the pituitary to function as normal as possible, this has done her a world of good as she started eating, and also attempting to talk again.

We have since managed to settle the bill of £8,500 for the first procedure already done.

To date, Langa has gained sufficient strength and has been given the green light for step 2.

The next stage we are now facing is biopsy and surgical removal of the tumor. This is scheduled for this Sunday 26 May 2024. Specialist surgeons will come in from South Africa and Namibia to team up with surgeons here in Zim to perform the procedure.

Depending on the results of the biopsy, the team will decide on the extent of removal of the tumor, as well as treatment via chemotherapy or radiation which will be in combination with physiotherapy in her post surgery rehabilitation.

The funds will be used for the surgery £15,000, chemotherapy or radiation to follow after the surgery with estimated £7,000 and £1,000 buffer for medication and rehabilitation.

The past 7 months have been draining and an extremely taxing time for my family and I and we are grateful to the Lord for allowing the root cause to be found. However, there is still a very long way to go from here.

We have full faith and belief that our daughter can live a happy and full life yet alone laugh and run again.

In this regard We are humbly appealing for any financial assistance cash or kind to help make every effort possible for Langa to be able to get the assistance she needs.

May we express our sincere gratitude to you for taking the time to read Langa’s story.

God bless you.

warm regards,

Tinashe Ben Muchedzi