On the 16 August 2018, Bianca Ackhurst (22) was transferred to the South Rand Rehabilitation Centre in The Hill, Johannesburg to continue her fight against Guillain-Barré Disease, an extremely rare autoimmune disorder that left her paralyzed at the beginning of July.

“Bianca’s condition is improving daily and she is at the point where she can sit with little to no assistance and can stand unassisted for about 3 seconds at a time. She remains positive despite dealing with this soul-destroying illness” – says Bianca’s father, Jeffrey Ackhurst

Bianca with her cousin Mellisa Ackhurst

Bianca currently does about 3 hours of physical, speech and occupational therapy a day. While she is making progress, doctors suggest her recovery could take up to 6 months.

“When I took my first step with my walker, I reminded myself, that you have to keep fighting when you get knocked down. I am determined to get better and get my life back” – says Bianca Ackhurst

Bianca’s treatment has been made possible through generous contributions to her campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy. The campaign went live on the 6th of July, shortly after Bianca’s diagnosis and has thus far raised over R108 065.41 with contributions from 165 donors.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to Bianca’s BackaBuddy fund and for the kindness and compassion, we received as a family. Your thoughts and prayers have been a pillar of strength for us during a very difficult time” Says Jeffrey