GMA Extra: Young Smallo takes first steps after operation

GMA EXTRA 3 APRIL 2017 (SMALLO/OHH 25 JANUARY 2017) 

BACKGROUND: We met four-year-old Smallo Miyambo in January this year. He lives with his mom, eight-year-old brother, granny, and two uncles on a small holding where his uncles and his grandfather are employed. They don’t pay rent, but his mom is not employed at the moment and the family gets by with only the basics. Smallo was in desperate need of an operation to drain fluid from his brain. Diagnosed a year ago with hydrocephalus (water on the brain), a condition he was born with. His development is far behind his age, but more seriously, he has been having severe convulsions or fits - that almost claimed his life when it happened the first time a year ago.

He’s been treated at the local state hospital and needs a shunt to be inserted in his head to drain the excess fluid. He has been scheduled for this operation three times, but sent home every time, leaving him with severe headaches, convulsions, slow development, and pain.

Dr Duncan and the team from Operation Healing Hands performed the procedure with a shunt sponsored by Medtronic and theatre time from LifeHealthcare Head Office. 

VIDEO: Two weeks after the procedure, Smallo took his first, proud steps!

CONTACT: Operation Healing Hands directly on operationhealinghands.org or visit Operation Healing Hands on Facebook. 

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Dear Operation Healing Hands and Good Morning Angels,

I would like to nominate 4-year old Smallo Miyambo for help.

Smallo is just over 4 years old and has lived - in a small house on a smallholding in the north of Pretoria. He lives with his mother, older brother (8 years), granny and 2 uncles.  His uncles work for the owner of the smallholding - as did his grandfather.  They don’t pay rent and the family gets by with the basics. His mother is not currently employed and his dad is not known or part of the family at all. 

Smallo is only now starting to walk and he speaks only a few words together, very basic sentences - nothing near what a 4-year old should be doing.

He is still in nappies. Nevertheless, he is a very happy little person, with a huge personality, who smiles at anyone who meets him.

He has been for check-ups at Steve Biko hospital since the start of 2016, after he went into status epilepticcus (convulsions that won't stop) late one evening in January of 2016.

The owners of the small holding called a private ambulance service - the emergency personnel saved his life that night. 

That is when it was first diagnosed that he has hydrocephalus (water on the brain). Before that, his family just thought that he was a bit slow.

He has been scheduled for shunt-operations three times since then at the State Hospital and every time he was sent home without surgery. He had a second episode of status epilepticcus in September last year and several times since then.

The surgery is absolutely essential to relieve the pressure on his brain, so that it can grow properly. He will probably never be as neurologically in tact as he could have been with earlier intervention, but there is still opportunity for great improvement. He has never been to school, but his family are looking for a pre-school for him. Unfortunately in this rural community it is difficult to find something like this for a child with special needs, and his family cannot afford travel fees.

If Smallo does not get help soon, not only will his development slow down even more  - his health could deteriorate drastically with the following symptoms becoming his daily reality: 

·         severe headaches, often with nausea and vomiting.

·         blurred or double vision.

·         problems with balance.

·         trouble looking up when the head is facing forward.

·         problems with coordination.

·         trouble standing or walking.

·         loss of bladder control.

·         extreme tiredness.

Please consider Smallo for help. He is just a friendly, loving little boy who does not deserve this fate.

Regards,

Debbie