When Kyle Wright stepped into the radiotherapy unit at Netcare Parklands Hospital for his final treatment session, he had no idea of the surprise awaiting him.
Kyle, 33, who was born with cerebral palsy, had just completed a month of radiation therapy for testicular cancer.
“Kyle’s special interest in Netcare 911 started when he was 16, and he had to be rushed by ambulance from Howick to Netcare St Anne’s Hospital for a medical emergency. Although he was medicated for pain, he specifically requested the ambulance crew to sound the siren during the journey, and ever since, he has been Netcare 911’s number one supporter,” his mother, Anthea Wright, says.
“Every time Kyle set foot in the unit, his kindness and positivity just lit up the waiting room, and we all looked forward to seeing him. He would often bring in beautiful roses with a handwritten note as an act of caring to brighten another person’s day. His mother would bring him every day from Amanzimtoti for his 20 minutes of treatment, and over the month he was with us, we became very fond of him,” says radiotherapist Dristi Bramdeo.
| Netcare 911’s Walter Molife and Rudy Van Vuuren are pictured with Kyle Wright (centre), celebrating his completion of radiotherapy treatment. |
| While Netcare 911’s number one fan Kyle was undergoing his month of radiotherapy treatment at Netcare Parklands Hospital, he would often bring in beautiful roses with a handwritten note as an act of caring to brighten another person’s day. This inspired the team to plan an extra special surprise for him to celebrate the completion of his course of treatment. |
| Netcare 911 crew Walter Molife, Rudy Van Vuuren, Netcare 911’s regional operations manager for KwaZulu-Natal Shaun Paul, are pictured with Kyle’s aunt Veronica Margetts, his sister Chanel Wright, the guest of honour Kyle Wright, his mother Anthea Wright and Netcare 911 operations manager for Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital Bongi Mabida. |
Radiotherapy oncology administrator at Netcare Parklands Hospital, Reshma Naidoo, says Kyle’s passion for Netcare 911 became clear when he presented her with a rose and a Netcare 911 awareness leaflet, with a caring message encouraging her to contact these emergency medical service heroes if ever she needed help.
“Kyle has been so cheerful throughout his treatment, and we wanted to do something extra special for him to celebrate the end of his course of radiation therapy, in addition to our tradition of a bell ringing victory ceremony for everyone who completes treatment,” Naidoo recalls.
She contacted Netcare 911’s regional operations manager Shaun Paul, to see whether it could be arranged for an ambulance crew to pop into a surprise party being organised in Kyle’s honour. To everyone’s delight, they exceeded all expectations.
Kyle’s mother describes the extent of her son’s fascination with Netcare 911 over the years: “When he was 20, all he wanted was a Netcare 911 uniform – but understandably, these are not available for people who are not serving paramedics. I made a special appeal to Netcare, and they very kindly gave him an honorary Netcare 911 suit. All these years, he has kept it pristine in his cupboard, and to this day it is one of his most prized possessions,” Anthea says.
“When we were shopping for his 21st birthday present, Netcare 911 met him at the mall entrance to wish him a happy birthday and he had a photo taken with the crew. After that, there was no gift that could top that – he was on cloud nine for weeks afterwards, and he remembers it like it was yesterday.”
Since he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, Kyle has faced his treatment with no fear. “He just loves the people he gets to know along the way. When his chemotherapy finished, he was so sad to miss the treatment team there, and he went through the 31 days of radiation therapy with a smile on his face, always looking forward and usually bringing roses picked from his granny’s much-loved garden to brighten another person’s day,” Anthea says.
On 17 April, Netcare Parklands Hospital’s radiotherapy department hosted a surprise farewell for Kyle, complete with cupcakes, snacks, cool drinks, and colourful decorations. The highlight of the day was when Netcare 911 held a parade in his honour with a convoy of ambulances and response vehicles.
“Dressed in a Netcare 911 flight suit, Kyle was very excited sitting in the front passenger seat as we drove him around the hospital with lights and sirens blazing. The smile on his face was priceless, and it gave us all a lift to see the pure delight this day brought to our favourite supporter,” Paul says.
“It was an unforgettable day. The gratitude we have as a family for everyone who has been so kind and supportive to Kyle, especially Hopelands Cancer Centre and the Radiotherapy Department at Netcare Parklands Hospital and the Netcare 911 team, your care is just phenomenal,” Anthea concludes.
Ends.
Notes to editors
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Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare 911 and Netcare Parklands Hospital
For media enquiries contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster,
Clementine Forsthofer or Natasha Burger
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