asked for life-saving help
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Prof Ronel Pretorius from the School of Nursing Science on the Potchefstroom Campus recently accompanied Caylum Willemse to Boston for his surgery.
NWU staff will go to great lengths to help someone in need. Prof Ronel Pretorius, a critical care nursing specialist from the School of Nursing Science on the Potchefstroom Campus, recently accompanied Caylum Willemse, a one-year-old boy born with esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TOF), to America for life-saving surgery.
Ronel, holding Caylum. She says being able to make a difference in another’s life is a true blessing.
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What is EA?
Esophageal atresia is a birth defect that causes the esophagus (the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach) to end in a blind-ended pouch rather than connecting normally to the stomach.
What is TOF?
Tracheoesophageal fistula is an abnormal connection in one or more places between the esophagus and the trachea (the tube that leads from the throat to the windpipe and lungs). Normally, the esophagus and the trachea are two separate tubes that are not connected.
When a baby with this condition swallows, liquid may flow into the lungs, causing pneumonia and other problems.
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Caylum has become a household name in South Africa. With the help of the radio station 94.7’s Breakfast Xpress show, his family was able to raise the funds for his surgery in Boston.
The Willemse family approached Ronel in November 2016 and asked if she would accompany little Caylum with a flight doctor from Awesome Air Evac to the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Lending a helping hand
Having a son who also suffers from TOF/EA and being part of the close support group of TOF families in South Africa, Ronel’s natural response was yes, not only to assist with Caylum’s medical care on board the flight, but also to support Wayne and Samantha, the parents of this little boy. The NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences also rose to the occasion and offered to cover Ronel’s costs for the trip.
Caylum, his parents and medical team recently left for Boston on board a South African Airways flight. “Caylum had his eight-hour surgery and has since returned to South Africa with his parents as a happy and healthy toddler,” says Ronel.
What an experience
“This was such an extraordinary experience for me and once again, one realises that through years and years of hard work, experiences and expertise, one can really make a huge difference in another’s life – a true blessing.”
The Willemse family has also started the Caylum Willemse Foundation from the surplus funds and currently supports therapy for three other children. They are Miane Aimslie, a one-year-old girl with cerebral palsy after a near drowning incident, Shelton Tofile, a fellow TOF baby, and 10-month-old Phenyo Moropa who has tibial hemimelia, manifesting as a shortened leg with knee and ankle deformities.
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