By Kundai Marunya
Old Georgians Sports Club is set to host a Zumbathon to fundraise for Takudzwa Rugare Paradza’s bone marrow transplant, this Saturday.
The event to be held from 9 to 11 am will go a long way in contributing to the $25 000 needed for the treatment to be done in India. Zumbathon is a special Zumba extended length event that is usually held to support a cause. Several different Zumba instructors will teach at the event, which is typically from two to three hours in length (with breaks).
A statement by the Paradza family reviews that in September 2014, 20 year old Takudzwa Rugare Paraza was diagnosed with high grade or aggressive non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. By January 2015 it had spread to his brain. After intensive chemotherapy, Paradza went into remission mid February 2015. However, celebrations did not last as the cancer returned May 2015, more aggressive.
“He is presently besieged by pleural effusion (excess fluid in the lungs) which forces him to cough and moves his heart to the wrong side. He has gone through a lot of pain is such a short period of time. An autologous bone marrow transplant is his last hope,” says the statement. It is only in India that he can receive the kind of treatment that will save his life, a process of harvesting Taku’s own bone marrow.
“There has been a lot of feedback which is much appreciated but we still have a lot of work to do,” says the statement. “The donations that have come through so far have taken the family a step forward towards reaching the $25 000 target which caters for his medical procedures in and return flights to India.”
You can contribute towards serving Taku’s life by attending this weekend’s fundraising Zumbathon. Entrance fee is pegged at $5 per head. Donations for the treatment can be made to Mrs Maria Paradza’s EcoCash Account: 0775 896 211.