Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Boy, 6, defies the odds after his third heart surgery
A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy has defied the odds by surviving open-heart surgery three times.
Imtiyaaz Moses, aka Josh, lived in a house without electricity during the first years of his life while battling pneumonia and his heart condition.
He and his family were among many families in Delft who moved into new homes in Eindhoven in December 2020.
His parents, Shirley and Francois de Bruin, were among families with disabled children who waited between 15 and 30 years for adequate housing.
But their nightmare continued when the homes were not equipped with electricity for a year.
Francois is also unable to work after back surgery three years ago.
The road to recovery is still very long for Josh, whose lung collapsed shortly after surgery last week.
He was born with a defective heart valve and was just a year old when he had his first surgery at a state hospital.
In 2017, a valve replacement and repair surgery into his heart cavity led to swelling and reduced blood flow.
A team of doctors at Red Cross Children’s Hospital carried out a 10-hour operation last week on Josh.
De Bruin said she was often unable to place Josh on his nebuliser due to there being no electricity.
“We had the nebuliser, but there was no place we could plug it in, and as a result, that affected my child, who often became ill with pneumonia.”
Josh’s paternal grandfather legally adopted Josh when he was just a year old following the drug abuse of his mother, which had affected the little boy’s health.
Now Josh has a new lease on life, and the family have had electricity in their homes since April.
Josh is at present stable in hospital following his marathon operation, but doctors are now draining fluid from his left lung.
Shirley said doctors were amazed at his strength, and she was grateful to all the staff.
“He also has a speech delay where he speaks like a child who is 4 years old,” she said.
“Every two hours, the doctors would give me an update, and they took a bit longer to open his chest cavity because the heart was a bit swollen.
“The day after the surgery, he was awake and alert. A day or two later, they learnt that his left lung had collapsed. They are now draining the fluid from the lung. The doctors could not believe that he was awake and talking the next day after his surgery. The nursing staff have been amazing, and I am so thankful to each and every one.”
In April, Mayco member for Human Settlements, Malusi Booi, confirmed that the homes were electrified with the assistance of Eskom.
Byron La Hoe, spokesperson for Red Cross Children’s Hospital, said the surgical team was preparing a statement on the procedure.