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Spinal decompression surgery for Zola: covering what insurance won't

Zola needs spinal decompression surgery at Johannesburg General Hospital and the family is $2,000 short of the hospital's estimate.

🇿🇦 2004, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa1,579 views
Tracey Nkosi
Email verified
Johannesburg
Zola was diagnosed with a cleft palate needing repair in August. The surgeon at Johannesburg General Hospital recommended spinal decompression surgery, and He is scheduled for November. The hospital's financial office gave us a written estimate of $3,350, and after what the government subsidy will pay we're still $2,000 short. my son has been in and out of Johannesburg General Hospital since August. The doctors say a cleft palate needing repair will get worse without spinal decompression surgery. We have emptied our savings and borrowed from relatives, but the estimate of $3,350 is more than we can find. While we wait, Zola struggles with daily life and can't climb stairs. His family has taken turns caring for him, and I've cut my own work hours to be there. The recovery period is expected to take about 6 weeks. During that time Zola won't be able to climb stairs, so the costs keep growing. I'll pay the hospital and pharmacy directly and post every receipt in the updates section. Where the $2,000 goes: • Surgeon and anesthesia fees: $830 • Hospital stay (4 nights): $750 • Pre-operative tests and imaging: $145 • Post-operative medication: $45 • Physiotherapy sessions: $195 • Travel and lodging for the family: $35 Thank you so much.
due date
2026-11-15
bill type
Hospital invoice
#surgery#hospital-bills#recovery#medical

Updates from Tracey

  1. Wanted to say thank you properly. 45% funded and I made the first payment toward surgeon and anesthesia fees.

  2. We're at 39% thanks to 14 of you. I met with the hospital and confirmed the amounts. More news soon.

  3. Small update. $380 so far, I met with the hospital and confirmed the amounts.

Donations

RecentTop gifts
  • Anonymous 🇦🇺 · $5
  • Anonymous 🇮🇹 · $53

    “Take care of yourselves. Hope the November deadline works out. - Latina”

  • Ariana C. Quincy 🇬🇧 · $10
  • Anonymous 🇮🇳 · $20
  • Elizabeth Kumi 🇬🇭 · $21

    “Keep your head up. From Madina with love.”

  • Mythili Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Anonymous 🇪🇸 · $10
  • Arjun K. Singh 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Anonymous 🇲🇽 · $10
  • Chai Pichai Sirisuk 🇹🇭 · $5
  • Francis J. Ocampo 🇵🇭 · $75

    “Best of luck. Thought of Zola all day after reading this.”

  • Anonymous 🇳🇬 · $5
  • Habib Nahid Ali 🇧🇩 · $25
  • Elsa Hani Lie 🇮🇩 · $10

    “Hope it all works out. Hope the November deadline works out. - Bandung”

  • Céline Céline Breton 🇲🇦 · $25

    “All the best. Small amount but sent with love. - Marrakesh”

  • Anonymous 🇪🇹 · $50
  • Marilyn E. Moreno 🇺🇸 · $8

    “Blessings. Thought of Zola all day after reading this. - Tampa”

  • Ghada Dalia Rashid 🇪🇬 · $5
  • Saeed Rashid Kamel 🇸🇦 · $250
  • Nada Ghada Rashid 🇸🇦 · $50

    “Hope things get better. Gave what I could this week. - Riyadh”

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  • Jackson Booker

    Rooting for you, Tracey. Wishing Zola a smooth procedure and a full recovery. I hope November is when things finally get easier. Blessings.

    • Allison Brown

      Take care, Tracey. Hope the doctors have good news.

      • Upendo Caroline Waweru

        Take care. Hope you get there. Don't lose heart. A few weeks ago I was in a hole too and it changed faster than I expected.

        • Suresh H. PrabhuQuestion

          how is Zola doing now?

          • Aparecida Carolina Pacheco

            Hang in there, Tracey. Shared it with a few friends. Blessings.

            • Tunde Kayode Anyanwu

              Keep going, Tracey. Looking forward to the next update. I went through something like this 2 years ago and strangers helped me out. Take care.

              • Sergio G. FrancoQuestion

                Is there anything that isn't money that would help Zola?

                • Tracey NkosiOwnerAnswer

                  Thank you. If you're in Johannesburg I'll say if something practical comes up. For now sharing this is great. It helps to be asked.

              • Liza A. Aguilar

                hope this works out for you. My sister had a similar thing happen so this one hit home.

                • Domenico CaputoQuestion

                  Is there a list of costs somewhere? Just curious how it adds up for Zola

                  • Tracey NkosiOwnerAnswer

                    Surgeon and anesthesia fees is $830 of it. Everything else is listed in the story and nothing outside that list comes out of this page. Appreciate you taking the time.

                • Nada Samira Maalouf

                  So sorry you're going through this. Look after yourselves too, caregivers need rest. Thinking of Johannesburg

                  • Qing Hua Ma

                    You're not alone, Tracey. Gave what I could, wish it was more. Please keep us posted. God bless.

                    • Fernando Raimundo Pereira

                      Wishing you peace, Tracey. Your post was clear and honest. All the best.

                      • Juan M. Valdez

                        wishing you peace, Tracey. Hope you get there. My father had a similar thing happen so this one hit home. God bless.

                        • Shota Yuma Hara

                          Sending love, Tracey. Looking forward to the next update. Thinking of Johannesburg.

                          • Rey K. Rivera

                            Good luck. Shared it with a few friends. Don't be hard on yourself for asking. Thinking of Johannesburg

                            • Cynthia W. Hatfield

                              Good luck. Shared this with my family. I have a 16 year old who wants to send good wishes too. Take care.

                              • Arthur Moraes

                                Thanks for sharing this. Get well soon. After 25 years in logistics I know how hard it's to ask for anything. God bless

                                • Marc Pierre Lemoine

                                  hope things get better soon. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did. The breakdown of costs made it easy to trust.

                                  • Ananya B. Nayak

                                    Wishing Zola a smooth procedure and a full recovery. Read this on the bus and kept thinking about it all day. All the best.

                                    • Devon Stewart

                                      Hope it all works out. This could happen to any of us. Thinking of Johannesburg.

                                      • Chen Galit Peretz

                                        Take care, Tracey. It takes guts to ask. Well done.

                                        • Themba G. Jones

                                          Wishing you peace, Tracey. Get well soon. God bless.

                                          $1,037 raised of $2,000

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