JOGGING FOR JAMIE
Motivated by his niece’s need for a new heart, a Hilton man is attempting to set a record run and climb from Nottingham Road and up Sani Pass in 23 hours this Friday, 28 May.
Leon Oosthuizen has set himself the challenge to run from Nottingham Road to Sani Pass, and then climb the pass to raise funds and awareness for the Organ Donor Foundation, where his 25-year-old niece, Jamie Waller, is currently on the waiting list for a new heart.
Waller, who grew up in Pietermaritzburg and matriculated from The Wykeham Collegiate, had moved to Cape Town, just graduated with her degree and started her first job when her life suddenly changed with a trip to the hospital with suspected pneumonia.
Three weeks later, she was discharged with a defibrillator inserted in her heart and diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. On her 25th birthday in September last year, she shared her story on Facebook of how in the space of a year, she had gone from a healthy, happy 24-year-old to a 25-year-old fighting for her life with a failing heart. Her Facebook post that went viral appealed to anyone who intended to “spend time commenting or saying happy birthday” to rather sign up to become an organ donor. “It could save a life – it could even be mine,” she wrote.
Since her birthday, her condition has further deteriorated and in March this year, she had an LVAD (left ventricle assist device) inserted into her heart to keep the blood moving through her body.
She is now on the waiting list to receive a heart transplant in two years’ time when her heart is hopefully strong enough to endure the operation, if and when a heart becomes available.
In support of his niece’s journey and to raise awareness of the Organ Donor Foundation and the amazing lifesaving impact organ donors have, Oosthuizen is planning his gruelling 132km run and hike for this Friday.
An avid trail runner, Oosthuizen said he became interested in the challenge before Waller’s diagnosis after coming across the route on the website Fastest Known Time, which holds the records for the fastest times taken to run different routes around the country and province.
He saw that and decided to give it a bash and throw in a hike up the pass as well.
“Then I thought, if I’m going to do this, why not do it for a charity, and Jamie came to mind,” he said.
To date, he has raised more than R40 000 for the Organ Donor Foundation. He has set no fundraising target, because “every bit no matter how small helps”, but he says the most important part is raising awareness on the importance of people signing up to become donors.
“I’ve always been an organ donor, but I’ve recently learnt more and more about the organisation. There’s a great shortage of organs at the moment. Essentially, the more people who register, the more better chance there is for more people to receive organs.”
To donate towards Oosthuizen’s campaign, visit https://www. payfast.co.za/donate/go/ODFFundraising. For more information on becoming an organ donor, visit: https://www.odf.org.za/