Thursday 20 June 2019 NEWS YOU CAN USE FREE Father’s love saves son Vernon Baumann [email protected] The 13-year-old son of Marc and Juanita Verfaillie, Kyle, was diagnosed with Rassmunsen’s syndrome at the age of nine. This came as a huge shock to the family whose lives have never been the same since. Rassmusen’s Syndrome is an auto- immune disease in which the brain is literally consumed by the body’s immune system. Sadly this disease is fatal. And because only one in ten million people suffer from this syndrome, the pool of experts is relatively small. After his fi rst fi t Kyle’s condition deteriorated rapidly. A few months after the fi rst attack, Kyle was experiencing up to 200 seizures a day. MRI scans revealed that Kyle’s brain was busy shrinking. “His brain size diminished by 1.28cm,” his father told Bloemfontein Courant. Something drastic had to be done. Medication appeared to have no effect. There was only one option left: major brain surgery. Kyle’s fi rst operation, which lasted 13 hours, was on Valentine’s Day, 2017. Afterwards Kyle was very sick. He vomited violently and worst of all, the seizures didn’t stop. Marc alerted the doctor. A second session of surgery was scheduled in June of 2017. Unfortunately a complication arose when a major artery was severed by accident. A 4-hour operation turned into an epic 12-hour fi ght for survival. During the Marc with his children, Chloe and Kyle in the pool. Marc, Kyle and mom Juanita after the pool therapy. operation, Marc was given the option of “signing away” his son’s life. But he refused. Ultimately, half of Kyle’s brain was removed And then one day Marc had an idea pool therapy the parents heard their Today Kyle is a different child. He has a during the surgery – unfortunately it was the that would change his son’s life forever. daughter, Chloe, scream. Kyle was on small, limited vocabulary, but he can speak. left side, the part of the brain that governs A dive master himself, Marc decided to his feet, and although he was walking He can also walk on his own and has motor functions. Over time, the empty part “teach” Kyle to swim in a specially equipped with diffi culty, it was the fi rst steps he had developed basic motor functions, although of Kyle’s skull would be fi lled with spinal swimming pool. He especially concentrated taken in months. It was an unbelievable he will never develop full use of his right arm fl uid. He survived but he was weak and on Kyle’s right leg, which was virtually improvement. Kyle had recovered more again and his vision has been marginally practically helpless. His ability to walk and paralysed. from Marc’s swimming therapy than what impaired. But much more importantly, he talk was completely compromised. A few months after starting the swimming two major brain operations could achieve. looks happy and content. Lindsay Saker OPSOEK NA NUWE WIELE ? 2 Gemeenskap • Community Bloemfontein Courant • 20 June 2019 Heidedal stands together against IPTN ‘injustice’ Nomaqhawe Mtebele According to Economic Freedom [email protected] Fighters’ Paulnita Marais, the jobs that will be created by the Community members of bus depot are a chance for Heidedal, Bloemfontein, gathered community members to uplift on Tuesday to get details on themselves from a cycle of developments of Mangaung unemployment and social ills. Metro Municipality’s Integrated “The community came here Public Transport Network (IPTN). to see that they would be the Community members of Heidedal held a meeting to discuss the controversial IPTN depot project. A project that was meant to ones who would benefi t from bring employment opportunities the project. Heidedal has the seems to have been overtaken highest rate of unemployment the corner of Kuscke and Perish the depot located in the industrial jobs but since the depot is a Ward 47 by politics. This comes after at the moment and there are Avenues in Ashbury where they area of New East End came to a project we should have priority and plans to build a depot for the problems related to drug and waited in vain for members of the standstill when residents of Ward 47 majority of jobs. It is an opportunity major bus system were put to a alcohol abuse. This is a chance committee to avail themselves. “The disputed that jobs would be given to for us to gain long-term skills for stop because of confusion over for community upliftment and municipality has been facilitating the residents of Ward 1. future employment,” said Leander the municipal ward that should we were hoping that they would whole project with the community Various men and women, young Paulsen. benefi t from its construction. come here and hand over the and councillor of Ward 1. They and old, attended the meeting to Royston van Heerden, an The meeting was to be necessary documents to the told me that the depot is in Ward hear the fate of the project, which ANC representative in the ward’s attended by residents of Ward ward councillor,” said Marais. 1, but it cannot be because that has been likened to bus systems in committee, expressed that not only 47, which includes a good DA Ward 47 councillor, ward is Batho location,” elaborated major metros such as Rea Vaya in workers but subcontractors involved portion of Heidedal as well as a Mokgadi Kganakga, and about Kganakga. Johannesburg and Tshwane’s A Re in the project should also be from municipal committee of the IPTN. 100 residents gathered at Earlier this month construction on Yeng. “We do not mind sharing the Heidedal. Hit-and-run victim’s parents remain hopeful Sazly Hartzenberg hit-and-run incident that occurred [email protected] at the corner of First Avenue and Zastron Street, has had his jaw About a week after the City of repaired yesterday (Wednesday) Roses was shocked with videos after it had been broken in three that went viral on hit-and-run different places after the accident. incidents taking place in different His father, Johan Pieters, told areas and not too far apart, there is Bloemfontein Courant that he is just fi nally some light at the end of the so grateful that his son has no brain tunnel. The driver who had bumped damage after his terrible accident. Jason Pieters, who is currently Jeremy Barnard was arrested in De He said however, that the accident recovering at the Pelonomi Hospital Aar last week and appeared in the did have an impact on his son’s life, in Bloemfontein. PHOTO: JOHAN Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on as after the accident his son will not PIETERS Tuesday. Khathazile Tolong (43) be able to work in the mechanical Pieters explained that the police was released on bail of a R1000 industry as before for a while. He had told him on Tuesday that and will be in court again soon. explained that even though his son nobody has been arrested as The other victim, Jason Pieters is still in a lot of pain, he is mobile yet but their investigation is still (22) from Bloemfontein, who is and can speak to some extent ongoing. He also said the one thing currently recovering well from the because of his jaw injury. that he was looking forward to the most was having his son home and hopefully this will soon be a reality. Jason told Bloemfontein Courant that he is so grateful to be alive and thankful for the people who stood by him and his parents through this diffi cult time. The second victim in a hit-and-run incident that took place on the same weekend, Jeremy Barnard , is still in the Universitas Hospital. According to his mother, Rouvé Barnard, Jeremy is still being kept Weekdays: 8:00 - 17:00 Saturdays: 9:00 - 12:00 sedated and there T: 051 522 2653 | 051 030 0072 E: [email protected] has been no change A: 186 Church St. | OR Tambo Road, BFN W: www.nova-refrigeration.co.za in his condition. 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All rights and reproduction material published in this newspaper are hereby reserved in terms of the Copyright Act. This publication is registered as a newspaper. Verifi ed distribution: 50 000 copies per week. Wild Olive Estate. Bloemfontein. 9301. For any complaints about our distribution, please contact Andries Kleinhans on 084-610-8337 or send an email to: [email protected] 20 June 2019 • Bloemfontein Courant Community • Gemeenskap 3 Modelvlieg, ’n sport vir die manne Vernon Baumann groei van hommeltuie. “Dit“Dit het ons regtigregtig [email protected] seergemaak,”emaak,” sê klublid Jaco Harms wat in die resieshommeltuie spesialiseer.