Charity climb raises R100k
Marathon event in aid of hospitals
ABIG-HEARTED East London cabinetmaker has scaled 40 sport routes in 15 hours for children with burn wounds.
Garvin Jacobs – who turned 40 on Saturday – was cheered on by scores of climbers from around the Eastern Cape, including legendary mountaineer Ed February, who travelled from Cape Town.
Jacobs thinks he has raised R100 000, which will go towards buying a dermatome skin harvesting machine for transplants at Cecilia Makiwane and Frere hospitals.
The extreme endurance event was held at the new SA Crag in Horseshoe Valley between 6am until 9pm.
When the Daily Dispatch checked in on his progress at noon, he had completed 20 routes.
He was seen slipping off the first holds on one route and landing awkwardly. He said that despite ripping some skin off his fingers, he was fine to carry on with “only a few flappers”.
Yesterday an exhausted Jacobs said: “The surgical department in East London caters for all of the Eastern Cape. They are understaffed and underfunded, but they do the very best they can.
“We all need a helping hand and I want to be the guy pointing people in the right direction.”
People have been amazing, with some advocating for the good cause.
“A big thank you to them. I may have been the one climbing, but there have been a lot of people encouraging me,” he said.
Towards the end he needed to lie stretched out on a ledge high up, as he tried to squeeze out the last energy left in his tired limbs.
Cecilia Makiwane Hospital CEO Dr Mthandeki Xhamlashe said the funds raised would be of great assistance in making children’s hospital stays as pleasant as possible.
“Treating children is complicated and our resources are limited. Being able to make a hospital as homely as possible for children goes a long way.
“We appreciate support like this. It is most welcome,” Xhamlashe said.
“At Frere we are committed to improving the quality of care that we give to all our children.
“We are thrilled and appreciative of this fundraising event of Garvin’s. On behalf of our children, we salute him and all who support his efforts,” Frere CEO Dr Rolene Wagner said.
The wards still needed “a fully equipped resuscitation trolley, so that babies and children who sustained a cardiac arrest could be saved”. — with additional reporting by Mike Loewe