The story of Dr. Able Nkosibele Mdluli demonstrates how transportation, food, and accommodation costs can create a serious burden for families facing cancer treatment. The national Cupcake day aims to alleviate this financial strain.
When thousands of South Africans bake cupcakes on September 26th, the collected funds help families overcome obstacles related to treating children with cancer.
Dr. Able Nkosibele Mdluli, who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 13, is well aware of the severity of this support. Her treatment required regular trips from Bushbuckridge in the Mpumalanga province to Gauteng, which became part of her daily life.
Initially, the trips occurred every two weeks, and later became monthly. Mdluli's story predates the National Cupcake Day on September 26th, when the organization Cupcakes of Hope calls on thousands of South African citizens to become 'Cupcake Angels' to raise funds to help children with cancer and their families.
Now 25-year-old Mdluli is a qualified doctor living in Johannesburg. She recalls these frequent trips as a significant part of her treatment experience. She noted: 'There were times when I already felt weak or unwell, but we still had to make the trip because my treatment couldn't just be postponed.'
At the time, Mdluli focused mainly on recovery and did not fully realize the costs her illness entailed for her family. Her father, Layson Mdluli, 60, recalls that the diagnosis caused fear and an immediate crisis in the family's life. He said: 'We were devastated when we heard the diagnosis. I constantly asked myself: 'Where does this disease come from?' It felt like death could strike at any moment.'
Mdluli reported that each trip cost the family approximately 1800 South African Rand, and expenses for food, accommodation, and other necessities increased the financial pressure. Cupcakes of Hope provided the family with assistance for transport, housing, and food for over a year.
Dr. Tanya Krakovitzer, a pediatric oncologist, emphasized that pediatric oncology is a highly specialized field where there are relatively few treatment facilities and adequately trained specialists in South Africa. Since these services are concentrated primarily in large urban centers, children from rural areas and small towns have to travel hundreds of kilometers for diagnosis, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, specialized imaging, and follow-up care. These journeys can last for months or even years.
Krakovitzer added that 'the diagnosis affects the whole family, not just the child.' Sandy Cipriano, founder of Cupcakes of Hope, pointed out that among the expenses requiring assistance were transport, food, nutritional needs, diapers, and other essential items.
Cipriano explained that 'a child's treatment can be done through the public healthcare system, but families still have to find a way to get to the hospital, eat there, find a place to stay when treatment is far from home, and continue supporting their other children and household.'
Cipriano also reported that the number of children supported by Cupcakes of Hope has almost quadrupled since 2020, and now more than 140 young patients receive financial support monthly. In July, support was provided to 200 patients. She linked the increase in demand partly to the rising cost of living, which makes transport, food, accommodation, and basic household expenses increasingly difficult for families. Simultaneously, some parents are forced to reduce working hours or stop working entirely to care for their child.
In 2025, Cupcakes of Hope fulfilled 1987 requests for financial aid, celebrated 80 birthdays, and delivered 3766 aid packages. The organization also collaborates with all 21 pediatric oncology departments across South Africa.
National Cupcake Day is Cupcakes of Hope's largest annual fundraising and awareness campaign. In 2025, over 2400 Cupcake Angels raised more than 2 million Rand. This year, events will take place in more than 80 shopping malls across South Africa, involving schools, workplaces, and local communities. Volunteers can register as Cupcake Angels, choose a participating mall, and pledge to bake 24 cupcakes.