Rally to help Fridjhon meet mounting medical bills

OWN CORRESPONDENT

The stroke has drained him of funds and, being without a medical aid, he has been placed in a financial jam. Getting Fridjhon back to full recovery, will cost hundreds of thousands of rands, which he does not have.

Ashleigh Harvey, a fellow actress and close friend, launched the Robert Fridjhon Fund and is appealing to the public to help with donations.

Asked what kind of money he needs, Harvey told the SA Jewish Report: “Funds raised will cover a host of costs which are the cornerstones of recovery and these include occupational therapy (R6 000 per week), speech and language therapy (R6 540 per week) physiotherapy (R13 340 per week) and R880 on weekends, and a potential psychologist (R1 500 per week). Effectively, he needs almost R30 000 a week.”

So far, more than R122 000 has been raised (most of it in American dollars) and more is expected, as the word gets around.

Harvey said they are using social media (mainly Facebook) as their main mode of communication. “We have also contacted the media to cover the story.”

People, she said, can contribute by logging onto the website: https://www.generosity.com/medical-fundraising/robert-s-recovery/x/17182760.

They can also go to the Facebook page to keep up-to-date with Robert’s progress: https://web.facebook.com/RobertsRecovery/

Asked how he was doing, Harvey said it was still early days. “Rob is paralysed on his left side. But he is taking each day as it comes.”

Doctors are still assessing how long it will take, based on his day-to-day performance in rehabilitation. “The more rehab he undergoes, the better the prognosis,” she added.

His acting future depends on the amount of rehab he receives. “Rob is a fierce lion-heart and the idea that he won’t return to the stage is unthinkable. We hope and pray that with the right medical treatment and intense rehab, he will be back on the boards in time to come,” said Harvey.