ICU-bound man’s family appeals for donations
THE family of 20-year-old Capetonian Michael Kammies has launched a fund-raising campaign to help finance the treatment he needs after being diagnosed with a rare disease called autoimmune encephalitis and to get him back home.
The disease is an inflammation of the brain cells, often due to infection, and may have various neurological and psychiatric symptoms.
Neurological symptoms may include impaired memory and cognition, abnormal movements, seizures, and problems with balance, speech, or vision.
Kammies has been in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit for the last three weeks at Winthrop University Hospital in Long Island, New York.
His sister, Melissa Kammies, said she hoped they would manage to raise funds for her brother to receive the treatment he requires, so he is able to come back to South Africa.
“Michael is on a work programme in the US, he worked six months in Florida and six months in New York, and has been there since October 2017.
“He started getting really bad migraines and about a month ago had panic attacks. While travelling to New York from Florida his migraines got worse and when he arrived in New York he started having seizures.
“He was in and out of the hospital
All donations will help Michael get all the care he requires Melissa Kammies Michael’s Sister
for about a week, he kept getting violent seizures and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, as all tests were clear, but he kept getting worse,” she said.
The family are hoping to raise R150000 to cover his medical bills.
“The funds will be used for his medical treatments after hospital care, his flight back to South Africa and also for physical rehabilitation.
“All donations will help Michael get all the care he requires in order to be able to live a normal life again.
“We knew the treatments he would be getting would cost quite a bit and our parents wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she said.
All donations will go into an account managed by Michael’s parents who are currently in Long Island with him.
Anyone wishing to donate can visit https://bit.ly/2KUXKcy
For more information email Melissa on melissa.kammies@hotmail.co.za