The heart wrenching story of an 8-year old cancer patient, Bridget Mandimutsira has touched the hearts of many Zimbabweans who continue to pour their love through donations to make her life and that of her parents bearable.
The little girl, who was receiving treatment in South Africa, is now back in Zimbabwe and today met one of her benefactors, Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
There are times when a diagnosis is so heartbreaking and there are no words to comfort the affected.
When the ZBC News carried a story on the 25th of last month, appealing for assistance to help Bridget who is suffering from a rare condition of skin cancer, a cross section of Zimbabweans from all spectrum of life responded in different ways.
Others offered prayers, while others chipped in to assist financially just as a way to help lessen the burden on the girls family.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mrs Virginia Mabhiza explained how the story left Mr Mnangagwa nearly crying, saying the following day he came to the office and said they must find a way to assist the little girl.
Bridget’s mother, Ms Benedict Makumbe likened her circumstances to the story of the leper in the Bible who sat for 38 years on the side of a Bethseda pool and had lost all hope until his prayers were answered.
Doctors at Steve Biko Hospital in South Africa, where Bridget was receiving treatment, have referred the young girl to St Thomas Hospital in the United Kingdom (UK) because her condition is now beyond their abilities.
The hospital in the UK has pegged the cost of treatment at US$30 000 and what Bridget’s mother and her brave daughter now need is strength to run this grueling race with perseverance and never to give up. zbc
