Tom Sawyer

In recent years, Tom's heart valves on the left side have been slowly degenerating to the extent that it is now necessary to have a duel valve replacement and a bypass.

The operation is scheduled for 20th February 2023 at Netcare, Blaawuberg Hospital, Cape Town, by Dr J van der Merwe, and we need your help.

But our dad's story begins elsewhere... If you know our dad, he has had his fair share of close calls over the years...


In 1984 while playing rugby for Harare Sports club, as a result of a "Judo style tackle," he hit the ground and fractured the 4th and 5th vertebrae - Nope, that didn't stop him. As he was back the following year. :)

Fast forward to 1989, while spearfishing at Lake Kariba, a sport taken up after retirement from the dangers of rugby, he was attacked by a crocodile! Who would have thought? But the accident caused severe lacerations to the right leg - Dad did win. Still, this tackle left him with five weeks of hospitalization and several operations to restore muscle mobility. It took 12 months to recover fully & a lifetime of medication.

Somehow, his determination and drive kept him going, and his craving for adventure turned him to road running.

His "autobiography" was just getting started. In 1991, with three kids and starting to farm, he did his first comrades' marathon, which he completed in 10hrs 15 minutes. Not stopping there, he ran other consecutive comrades in 92, 93, and 94 - ending with a bronze medal.

Yup, and you guessed it, nothing seemed to last long in the adventure stream as, after the 1994 run, dad was diagnosed with Lymphoma on the left side of my neck and the left side of the sternum in the chest. The growths were removed, and chemo and radiation were administered. Still, this illness was a massive setback for our family and the farm business.

But again, with support from our neighbours and community, dad got through it.

Fast forward! After numerous holiday accidents, a knee replacement moving multiple countries, and everything in-between, dad is our trooper.

Then in 2020, he had his first heart op, which, thankfully, at the time, was just a stint. And here we are in 2023... looking to get past another scary chapter in Tom Sawyer's life Adventures.

What about medical insurance, you might ask? Dad had changed companies; unfortunately, his new insurer won't cover anything needed.

We know times are super hard with prices going up everywhere, and the amount we need might not be met, but any little bit helps, and we are so thankful that you are willing to take the time and money to support our dad.

God Bless

Charms, Steph, Terri