Juván’s miracle moment in his mother’s arms

Update

GEORGE NEWS - For the first time in weeks, Adelizé Havenga was finally able to hold her 15-month-old son, Juván - free of tubes, wires and machines.

“A small thing to some, but for us, it was huge,” said Adelizé from Cape Town’s paediatric ICU. “It meant he was comfortable. At peace. It meant progress.

“His little body curled against mine, his tiny hand wrapped around my finger … no tubes between us, just love. After everything he’s been through, to simply hold him like this feels like a miracle.”

This moment of quiet triumph came after Juván, who had been fighting for his life in hospital, was extubated on Monday 30 June. He is now breathing on his own with the assistance of high-flow oxygen.

On Saturday 19 July, Juván reached another milestone: he fell asleep in his pram for the first time.

A journey through trauma

Diagnosed with autoimmune enteropathy (AIE), a rare condition in which the immune system attacks the gut, baby Juván cannot digest or absorb food and survives on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), delivered intravenously.

In May, his health spiralled after his Broviac line had become dislodged. A temporary line was inserted into his groin, but just weeks later, Juván suffered a cascade of critical complications: kidney failure, sepsis, metabolic acidosis, respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated and placed back on a ventilator, on which he remained for 16 days.

In the days leading up to his extubation, an EEG scan brought another wave of relief: no signs of brain damage, swelling or seizure activity.

Soon after, a new Broviac line was successfully inserted directly into his heart, providing a safe and stable way to receive vital TPN and medication.

The weight of survival

The Havenga family, who live in Wilderness, have already spent over R390 000 on medical and living expenses this past year. “Our family have helped in every way they can,” says Adelizé, “but we’ve reached a point where we simply can’t do this alone anymore.”

The family are urgently raising funds to cover ongoing accommodation near Mediclinic Panorama, weekly travel between Wilderness and Cape Town, specialist speech therapy and neurophysiotherapy, nutritional and immune support items not covered by medical aid and critical medical supplies and equipment.

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