Amy's Aplastic Anemia Journey

08/09/2025

Angel Amy is getting better 🙏❤️🙏❤️

Thank you for all the prayers and support!

03/09/2025

Amy picked up an infection, and we’re waiting on the results to see if it’s viral. We had to take her to the hospital today for proper bloods (not just the usual finger prick) and nose swabs.

It was tough on her, she really battled with it 😢 but big sister came along to give her some support.

She’s on extra antibiotics now. When her pain meds are working, she’s doing just fine, but as soon as they wear off, her fever spikes badly.

31/08/2025

This little girl was the first friend Amy made in hospital, February this year. Back then her leukemia was in remission. I'm shocked and saddened to read it's returned and she will need a bone marrow donor and and Immunotherapy as well, Immunotherapy is what Amy went through. This is the sad reality of these brutal diseases, you can have every treatment possible and they can still come back. Please join the drive to find her perfect match 😔🙏❤️❤️❤️

please see in the comments, the details of where you can register to be a match for her.

26/08/2025

Hi beautiful souls, please have a look at Amy's latest fundraiser. All proceeds are paid directly to outstanding medical bills. 😘🥰🥰

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗞𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 🎗️❤️🎗️

Amy Klopper, a resilient four-year-old girl, was diagnosed with 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 in early January 2025 at Donald Gordon Hospital. Her treatment is overseen by Dr. Nandipha Sigedle. This 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 has required Amy to undergo frequent blood and platelet transfusions, as well as regular bone marrow biopsies. Her ongoing treatment includes Eltrombopag (Revolade), a costly medication that stimulates her bone marrow, along with Cyclosporine, Anviro antibiotics, and Bactrim twice a week.

The family’s life has been a whirlwind of hospital visits, emergency admissions, and specialist consultations, often on short notice.

Thanks to an outpouring of support from their community, the family was able to upgrade Amy’s medical aid to the Momentum incentive option, which now helps cover the cost of Revolade. However, their medical savings are completely depleted. The family continues to face significant financial strain, as all other expenses—including additional medications, transport, and specialist visits—are paid for out-of-pocket. Amy sees her doctor every two weeks for blood and platelet transfusions, depending on the results of her blood tests. She has also received ATG (anti-thymocyte globulin) treatment, which is slowly helping her show signs of improvement.

🙏 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽

Despite this progress, Amy’s recovery is still delicate and requires active management. The family is grateful for every small victory but recognises that their journey is far from over. They are actively fundraising and managing Amy’s care while trying to hold their family together. They have reached out to Arms of Mercy NPC to partner with them to help carry the financial burden of Amy’s continued treatment and recovery. A stem cell donor is currently on standby should her condition take a turn for the worse. 🙏

If Amy’s story has touched your heart, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 today to help the family and ensure she receives the continuous care she needs to fight this rare, life-threatening condition. Every donation, no matter the size, directly contributes to Amy’s ability to continue her fight. 🫶

We have also launched a heartfelt 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 to help raise funds for her ongoing medical expenses to further support her journey. ❤️

🛒 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽 "𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀": https://www.armsofmercy.org.za/product/amy-strong-bracelets/.

~ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ~

Account Holder: Arms of Mercy NPC
Bank: Standard Bank
Account Type: Cheque Account
Account Number: 10114699702
Branch Code: 051001
Swift Code: SBZA ZA JJ
REF: AMY KLOPPER

Alternatively, make a donation online with Payfast.
https://www.armsofmercy.org.za/donate/.

04/08/2025

Happy 4th birthday to my beautiful Amy

What a year hey… and what a miracle today is

It’s not just any birthday, it’s her crown one. 4 on the 4th. And we actually get to celebrate it with her healthy. That alone feels massive

I keep thinking back to those nights in hospital when everything felt so uncertain. That fear… what if she doesn’t make it to her 4th birthday. That thought nearly broke me. It’s a fear no parent should ever have to carry

I remember sitting on the bathroom floor at the hospital, cold and alone, just quietly crying and begging for her to be okay

And now somehow we’re here. She’s here. Smiling. Full of spark and softness and fight

We’re not just celebrating a birthday today, we’re celebrating that she made it. That we made it

Happy birthday my girl. You’re everything. You’re strong, you’re magic, and you are so so loved

Also, a very kind neighbour made her the most beautiful cake for her birthday. If anyone’s looking for something special, you can check out her stunning cakes here:
Instagram:
WhatsApp orders: 0764195368

26/07/2025

A Quick Update on Amy

I took Amy to the doctor for a check-up, she had bloods taken to check everything.

The results show she’s fighting an infection, most likely viral. She also developed sores on her tongue. Her blood counts have dropped a bit, but the doctor isn’t too concerned right now. The infection seems to be the cause. She's currently borderline on needing another blood transfusion, but for now, it's not absolutely necessary.

Each red blood transfusion, carries risks for her long-term treatment options... especially if she were to ever relapse and need a stem cell transplant. So transfusions are only given when absolutely necessary.

Amy’s now on two additional medications to help clear the infection. She’s definitely improved, but she still runs out of energy quicker than usual.

This month has tested me. Emotionally, physically… I’ve been holding space for all my kids and their needs, especially emotionally. I’ve reached the point of near-depletion at times. I’ve also been struggling with my own health and had blood tests done alongside Amy’s to try and figure out what’s going on.

But as a mother you never give up! Even if you have to crawl, you keep showing up for your children.

Thank you to everyone who’s reached out. Every message, every bit of support means more than I can say.

With all my love,
Sarah

21/07/2025

A quick update on Amy:

She has been doing remarkably well these past few weeks!
Unfortunately though in the last 24 hours she's spiked a temperature and is complaining about a lot of tummy pain as well as feeling extremely cold often. We are treating it appropriately and I'm so hoping and praying she will be well enough to enjoy her older brother Jared's 10th
birthday tomorrow!

She is fully weaned off the one lot of steroids now and her appearance and weight gain has slowly been going back to "normal" I'm grateful for this, as long term steroid use has many side effects.

She is still on her other meds (Eltrombopag and cyclosporine) it really has been a game changer.

Her blood lines have shown stability and slow improvements, it's still not in the normal range but for now her Aplastic Anemia isn't considered severe anymore! What a blessing that is!

The road ahead is still uncertain but we take each day as it comes.

Sending so much love and gratitude 🙏 😘🥰🥰🥰

08/07/2025

💛 Amy Update

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve honestly just been taking it day by day, letting things settle before trying to find the words again.

Amy had a bit of a dip not too long ago. Her energy dropped and her blood tests confirmed it. All her cell lines were down and that familiar panic started to creep in. But then a few days later we repeated the tests and they had recovered. Still all below normal, but high enough to keep her out of hospital. Her new meds seem to be helping her platelet levels stay a bit more stable. They’re still very low, but the numbers aren’t crashing like they used to and that’s something we’re holding onto right now.

The other day it was her sister Rachel's birthday, we took them to a trampoline park. I was so grateful having all my kids together. To be able to watch her play and enjoy herself like a child should is such a beautiful privilege. All the memories we make have an even deeper impact now. I sat there thinking how it was 6 months ago...how unsure the future seemed, how terrified I was that she wouldn't go to another birthday party again or even see her own birthday which is in August. The PTSD of it all is so real for us all. I'm just currently so in awe of where we are today.

It’s still up and down. One moment she’s lying quietly with no energy, and the next she’s arguing with her siblings like her full, fiery little self again. It’s in those flashes of her that I find hope. That stubborn sparkle is still there, even if she tires quickly.

We’re keeping a close eye on everything, staying in contact with her doctor, and doing regular blood tests and checkups. It’s a lot to carry, but for now things feel a little steadier and that gives us space to breathe.

Thank you to everyone who’s checked in, prayed, or simply held us in your thoughts. I'm always so grateful 🙏

With love
Sarah

28/06/2025

16/06/2025

Amy update:

Thank you to everyone who's been praying, checking in or just thinking of us.It means so much.

In my last post I shared how Amy got suddenly so sick. She was fine one moment, playing and being her little mermaid self… and then just like that, high fever, sore tummy, completely flat. She couldn’t even lift her head. I was really worried!

We managed everything from home, speaking to her doctor often, just watching her and hoping it didn’t get worse. We did take her to the hospital for more extensive blood tests than usual just to see what's happening. Her CRP rate was incredibly high, which means she had an infection. The doctor thinks it was Gastritis and a UTI based on her symptoms.

Her other results came back and showed her bloodcell lines had actually improved! We were extremely surprised!
Even crazier — her own little body actually fought the infection off.

No emergency hospital visits. No urgent meds. Just her.
She did it. Her body did what I honestly wasn’t sure it could anymore.

She’s still weak, still not 100%, but she’s here. There’s a little bit more of her again, a light in her eyes, a bit more of her voice and playing/fighting with her little brothers, which drives us insane at times 😅

This journey’s so up and down. Some days are heavy in a way that’s hard to explain. But, there’s a little more hope. We so needed that!

Thank you again for all the love. I don’t always get to reply, but please know I carry it with me.

Love,
Sarah

09/06/2025

Prayers needed please.

In the early hours of the morning Amy had sudden stomach pain out of nowhere, and today she’s been very quiet, lethargic, and running a high temperature. We're keeping a close eye on her and doing what we can from home, while staying in touch with her doctor.

This is the nature of her disease.Even though some of her blood counts have improved recently, her immune system is still so weak, and things can change overnight. Literally 24 hours ago she was giggling in the bath pretending to be a mermaid... and today she’s hardly moved. It’s a constant rollercoaster and honestly, some days are heavier than others.

I also just want to say thank you to everyone who’s shared our updates, reached out, or sent love. I know I don’t always get to reply.Our household is loud, messy, full of life and very, very busy — but please know I see your messages, I feel them, and I’m so deeply grateful.

With love
Sarah