SA Made it Happen! Michelle Comes Out of Surgery Saying Her ABCs

Her husband made chopping boards to raise funds for her life-saving surgery, now we’re chopping onions over the good news. South Africans made it happen. Michelle has received the urgent care she needed, all thanks to an outpouring of support!

Western Cape, South Africa (15 May 2026) – She can breathe again.

We received the news from Michelle this week, and we’ve been sitting with it, trying to find the right words. Some updates we ‘Goodies’ receive are totally overwhelming, and oftentimes in the most wonderful ways.

With the help of our previous articles that spread the word, and over 140 strangers who donated online, Michelle was able to get the life-saving surgery she needed.

If you don’t know the story, Michelle has been fighting a condition called Tracheal Stenosis, with a growth and scar tissue in her airway that had been slowly closing off her ability to breathe.

Before her first surgery, she was surviving on oxygen machines, nebulisers, and high-dose cortisone. She was breathing through what she described as a pinhole. Unfortunately, after the initial procedure and a brief period of relief, the growth had come back. It had narrowed her airway by 40% and was continuing to close.

Her loving husband went straight back to the workbench. Just as he had handled it the first time, Riaan handcrafted Quartz cutting boards and stood at markets through pain and exhaustion, doing whatever it took to raise enough money to save the woman he loves.

When South Africans heard their story, compassion kicked in. The kindness of more than a hundred strangers carried Michelle where she needed to be again.

“Everything happened incredibly fast. Thanks to every donation, every share, every raffle ticket bought, every cutting board purchased and every prayer sent our way, we managed to raise enough to proceed. Suddenly I found myself on the theatre list on Tuesday, 12 May 2026,” Michelle tells us.

It was supposed to be a 45-minute procedure but turned into hours in theatre and even longer in a hospital ward. There were complications. The original plan was for Michelle to undergo a bronchoscopy procedure with balloon dilation to stretch her airway open. That had to change the moment her surgeon was able to properly assess everything.

“Once I was in theatre and the surgeon could properly assess everything, he realised the scar tissue had already hardened and become too established. The balloon dilation wasn’t going to give us the result we had hoped for,” she explained.

Thankfully, her surgeon came prepared with a plan A, B and C.

“He then had to laser away the growth and inject highly specialised medication directly into and around the tissue in the hope of preventing further growth and keeping my airway open,” Michelle said.

The procedure was happening dangerously close to her vocal cords

“What a terrifying thought – being able to breathe but potentially losing my voice. And then came the moment I can finally laugh about now.” she says, “The first thing my doctor did when I woke up from general anaesthetic was ask me to say the ABC. He simply wanted to make sure she could still speak.”

She could.

While Michelle was in theatre, Riaan was waiting. Expecting her back in 45 minutes, every minute over without news was agony.

“It was probably the longest two hours of Riaan’s life. He was expecting me back after 45 minutes, and when I didn’t come out, his mind immediately started racing. My mom was on her knees praying. The waiting, the uncertainty, the fear — it was all overwhelming,” Michelle shared.

The man who pushed through pain to save his wife was sitting in a waiting room, holding on to every last hope he had. Michelle asked him what kept him going through all of it.

“He said: ‘My love for you, our future together… and your smile.’ He says he wants to see my smile back again.”

Michelle is now back home in Langebaan. Her recovery is ongoing – she is dealing with a considerable amount of pain and discomfort still, and has been told to rest her voice and avoid strenuous activity while her airway heals. The full outcome will only really become clear in the coming days, once the swelling settles and her body begins to find its new normal. But there is hope.

“I can already feel that I can breathe better. Those words feel emotional to share. It feels like another chance. Another opportunity to keep living, loving and making memories. I’m starting to feel like a cat with nine lives.”

What keeps her going now are thoughts of life returning back to regular programming, and reaching the milestone of 40 as a healthy woman.

“I cannot wait to go walking again with my beautiful dog Mustang and my husband, and simply enjoy ordinary moments that suddenly don’t feel ordinary anymore.”

Michelle’s gratitude toward the strangers, the sharers, the donors, the people who bought a cutting board or a raffle ticket or kept her in their thoughts is un-ending.

“I don’t think I will ever fully be able to explain what it feels like to see complete strangers rally around someone they have never met. It reminded me that kindness is still very much alive,” she says. “To every single person who helped me get this far – thank you. Thank you for helping me breathe again. Thank you for helping me spend more time with my husband, my family and the people I love.”

The added theatre time, laser treatment and specialised medication has pushed costs beyond what was initially raised, so if you would still like to support Michelle while she recovers, every little bit does help. The fundraiser and raffle are both still live. You can also purchase one of Riaan’s handcrafted Quartz cutting boards by emailing him at rdckitchens@gmail.com.

South Africa, you did something remarkable. You helped a stranger breathe again!

Sources:

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