Brain-damaged boy’s family appeals for help

THE family of two-year-old Uzuva Katjitae is appealing for assistance to buy equipment that would help keep him alive.

The boy’s grandfather, Jefta Katjitae, told yesterday that Uzuva sustained severe head injuries during a fall, which resulted in him sustaining brain damage in April.

“He fell from the doorstep at our house and hit his head on the rocks outside, causing him to sustain severe brain injuries,” explained Katjitae, who added that Uzuva had been left with his 18-year-old sister at the time of the accident.

Katjitae said after the accident, Uzuva was rushed to the Windhoek Central Hospital, where he was treated in the intensive care unit for two and a half months, before he was transferred to an ordinary ward at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital.

“He was moved from the intensive care unit after his condition improved, although his brain was permanently damaged. He is still at the Katutura hospital,” he continued.

Katjitae said although Uzuva is conscious, the family still considers him to be in a coma because he cannot move.

“We say he is in a coma, although sometimes his eyes move, and he is able to shake or nod his head. But he cannot speak anymore,” said the dejected grandfather.

He added that although the doctors told the family that Uzuva’s recovery would need a miracle, the family remains hopeful.

“Although the doctors said his brain was damaged permanently, we have hope that one day, something will happen to him, and he will recover,” he said. The grandfather added that since the accident, Uzuva also needs help with breathing, as he now has an infection in the lungs.

“For him to breathe, they had to open a hole in his throat through which they can clean him and suck out the excess fluids,” said Katjitae. The grandparent said they want Uzuva discharged from hospital so that his mother can nurse him at their village in the Omaheke region.

For that to happen, the family needs a suction unit to help his breathing after he leaves hospital. The surgical unit costs about N$123 000, the grandfather said.

“He is still in hospital, and we cannot take him out because we need that machine,” he narrated, adding that the family home at the village also does not have electricity. As such, the family would thus need to buy a generator and solar panels to keep the unit functional.

“We are also requesting for a solar panel, but because of the rainy season, sometimes we go two or more days without sunshine, which is why we are also asking for a generator that we can use to keep the baby alive,” said Katjitae.

Hospital documents seen by The Namibian, recommended that the parents should buy the unit, if they are to have Uzuva discharged.

“Patient presented with the advice to purchase own suction machine to use at home, as that is the sole reason for prolonged hospital stay,” the documents stated.

The documents further show that due to the irreversible nature of Uzuva’s condition, he will permanently depend on tracheostomy care, a medical procedure that involves creating an incision in the neck to insert a tube into a person’s windpipe.

“Tracheostomy care includes suctioning secretions to prevent recurrent pneumonia,” read the hospital’s medical records.