What was initially the road to the Olympics has turned into the road to recovery for Jessie Munton who has made South Africa so proud as an athlete numerous times over. After being hit by a car last month, Jessie’s fighting spirit has had to shine like never before:
South Africa (15 February 2024)—17-year-old Jessie Munton was preparing for the South African Road National Championships and forging her path to one day participating in the Olympics when everything changed. A car with a reportedly intoxicated driver behind the wheel spun the trajectory of her life around in an instant; placing her on a road few travel at this magnitude—the road to recovery.
An athlete who has made South Africa so proud on numerous occasions (including representing SA at the Youth Commonwealth Games and earning national championship titles left, right and centre), Jessie is now in the kind of race that requires immense community support.
For a month, her fighting spirit has kept her going. She has faced severe brain damage and an induced coma since the incident, but her body has pushed on to the point where she is now in her own coma and breathing without life support, as her brother, Byron, shares.
“In the weeks ahead, Jessie will embark on the next phase of her recovery journey at a specialised rehabilitation clinic,” says Byron. But this is the part of the story where every drop of help becomes critical.
With the road to recovery uncertain in terms of duration, what is certain is that she needs desperate financial help as her medical coverage dwindles.
Her family have estimated that roughly R2 million is necessary to cover her rehab, scans, doctor visits and essential medical equipment among other necessities.
Calling on South Africans, the Muntons are asking for help in any way to give Jessie this lifeline.
“All we want is the very best for Jessie, to see her regain the joys of life that were temporarily stolen from her. So we’re reaching out with open hearts, asking for your support in any way you can offer. Every gesture, big or small, will help pave the way for Jessie’s bright future.”—Byron Munton.
You can make your drop in the ocean by finding Jessie’s BackaBuddy campaign here, and her GoFundMe campaign here if you are internationally based.
Sources: Byron Munton
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