His love for children became even more real as Dr André Hattingh recently completed his 7 000-kilometre solo Ride for a Child 2026 motorcycle journey across South Africa.
It was the seventh annual charity motorcycle ride that Hattingh, founder of Pediatric Care Africa (PCA), had initiated. This year, he mostly rode alone, with groups temporarily joining him occasionally.
Where the road stretched wide and often wet, hope travelled with him. Along the way, he experienced kindness in every town and around every turn.
LOVE FOR CHILDREN ON THE OPEN ROAD
The purpose of this remarkable trip was clear. Funds were needed for eight-month-old Caleb from Nelspruit, who was born with Hemimegalencephaly, a severe brain condition. One side of his brain developed abnormally. In Caleb’s case, the left hemisphere is enlarged and malformed. This leads to intense epilepsy that medicine cannot fully control.
Mass rides helped raise awareness and funds. Motorcyclists joined Hattingh for short distances in major towns. Community events were organised in Nelspruit, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Riders arrived with loud engines and generous hearts while sponsors provided meals and beds. Donors offered pledges and direct support, and together they raised more than R130 000.
A CHANCE AT HEALING
Caleb and his mother subsequently travelled to the Mediclinic Constantiaberg in Cape Town, where a paediatric neurosurgeon performed a complex left peri-insular hemispherotomy. This operation disconnects the affected hemisphere, with the healthy side expected to compensate over time.
Doctors completed two-thirds of the surgery but paused after about nine hours when the procedure seemed to be too much for Caleb’s small body. The remaining surgery will only follow in several months.
The fundraising road also continues. Caleb’s story still needs many hands, yet one truth stands firm: When hearts unite, distance means little, and South Africans know that compassion travels far.
The PCA Ride for a Child proved again that wheels can carry more than riders. They can carry hope, courage and the powerful love for children.
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