
“I AM going to get the spider out of my head.”
These are the words uttered by five-year-old Tristan Els who has a brain tumour in the left frontal lobe.
Midway through last year, Tristan started having seizures and displayed unusual behaviours like shivering and blackouts that lasted for 10 to 20 seconds.
And, according to his mother, Tarryn Els, he could not remember anything after the seizures.

They took him to Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, who confirmed their son had a brain tumour. Tarryn said the whole process had been an emotional and traumatic rollercoaster ride, but she is proud of Tristan because he has shown that he is a fighter. “He is such a cheerful and talkative child and he has just been amazing. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Not only is the family under a lot of financial strain; there are financial costs involved in making sure that Tristan gets the best medical care. Doctors at Red Cross operated on him last week and he is now recovering at home.
Tristan’s aunt, Kathy Wegner, told the GO! this week that they also had a trust and were asking the East London public to donate whatever they could to the Els family to use towards young Tristan’s rising medical bills.
“We are also having a musical fundraiser in May; the Tristan Els Music Evening that will be held at Buffs Club. Tickets are R150 per person or R1500 a table. There will be lucky draws, auctions and a silent auction on the night,” Wegner said.
For more information contact Kathy Wegner on 083 659 8767 or 043-7351785. The trust details are : Tristan Els Trust, FNB, Branch Code: 258612, Account no.: 62674392289.