An Angus woman has told how her best friend still faces an anxious wait for a lifesaving operation.
Montrose mum Bekki Smith-Dutton sent out a rallying call to the Angus public after her “soul sister” Riekie Cloete was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia which leaves her with just a one in 100,000 chance of survival.
A bone marrow match was found in Germany for South Africa-based nurse Riekie but her medical aid does not cover foreign donor matches and the cost of the procedure is £15,000.
Around £3,000 had been raised before Bekki shared her story with The Courier and the publicity sparked a surge of donations which managed to hit the five-figure target.
Bekki, owner of Cloud 9 hair and beauty salon in Arbroath, said it is now a waiting game for Riekie – which she described as “a bit of a nightmare”.
The German man’s blood is being sent to Sweden for tests before the donor cells are transported to South Africa to start the procedure.
“Riekie has now handed over the money so the donor will now have to undergo further tests,” she said.
“It could still be a bit of a wait, which is a bit of a nightmare.
“While all this is going on, Riekie is currently on double doses of chemotherapy.
“This is costing a fortune but it has to be done – she’s quite ill right now.
“She’s been back in hospital receiving blood platelets and caught the flu again.
“I’m praying that the transplant will take place as soon as possible.”
The pair have been friends for 15 years since they travelled the world together working in cruise ship spas.
Riekie, 39, mum to Carla, 8, and HenRoux, 5, will be under the care of a leading haematologist in Pretoria.
Riekie was diagnosed in September with just a one in 100,000 chance of getting a bone marrow match.
Bekki started a social media campaign to urge people to get a swab test to see if they could be a match.
The campaign was shared across Europe before a match was found in Germany where Riekie’s ancestors were from.
