Hope rises after child’s brain injury
· Citizen
The medical care in the immediate aftermath of a head injury, combined with rehabilitation therapies in the weeks that follow, can make all the difference in the life of the survivor – particularly when a child’s future is at stake.
Three-and-a-half year old Hannah-Grace Hefer’s life hung in the balance following a tragic car accident in the first week of 2026 that cut short the life of her devoted father and left her mother, Megan, with an injured arm and a badly swollen eye.
Visit chickenroadslot.lat for more information.
Megan, of Fochville, Gauteng, said: “At the scene of the accident, Hannah-Grace’s eyes were fixed and unfocused: I knew that was a bad sign.”
Three-year-old defies odds after a tragic accident
Dr Palesa Monyake, paediatric intensivist at Netcare Waterfall City Hospital’s specialised paediatric intensive care unit, recalls: “Hannah-Grace was in such a bad way, we hardly dared to hope for the kind of recovery she has made.”
Yet, just over two months after the accident, the little girl described as a “go-getter” is returning to her lively, active self and surpassing everyone’s expectations for a recovery after brain injury.
“She was airlifted from Ermelo in a critical condition with severe head injuries and when she arrived, Hannah-Grace kept having seizures and could not even breathe on her own.
ALSO READ: Man shot dead at Milpark hospital linked to earlier assassination – report
“As a mother myself, I knew how difficult it must be for Mrs Hefer to be separated from her injured child without knowing who was looking after her,” Monyake says.
After several days, Hannah-Grace’s condition slowly began to improve under the diligent care of doctors and paediatric intensive care unit nurses, whom Megan describes as “angels doing God’s work”.
“On 7 January, they extubated Hannah-Grace and I had to leave her in the hospital to identify my husband’s body.
Brain injury
Scans revealed areas of bleeding in Hannah-Grace’s brain, which can indicate damage to areas of the brain responsible for movement, language and other crucial functions.
“Her eyes were only staring to the right, but we didn’t know if she could see or hear. She didn’t talk and she didn’t show any signs that she recognised me,” her mother remembers.
Then, as time went by, “she started speaking a few words. One day, she said, ‘Ek is Hannah Grace,’.. I cried out, ‘My baby is coming back’.”
ALSO READ: Dutch tourist praises SA medics
Monyake describes Hannah-Grace’s mother as “a pillar of strength” whose love, support and faith at her daughter’s bedside were invaluable.
Dr Anrie Carstens, a general practitioner with a special interest in physical and rehabilitation medicine, said that when Hannah-Grace arrived at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, there was pronounced weakness on the left side of her body in keeping with a stroke in the brain.
“Hannah-Grace’s brain had to relearn how to recognise the left side of her body so she could learn to walk again.
Hannah-Grace had to relearn how to walk again
“Her expressive and receptive language skills were also delayed,” Dr Carstens said.
“We thought she would need eight weeks of intensive therapy at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, but she was so eager to get going with her therapy sessions and progressed so quickly that we were amazed when she needed less than half this time.”
Tomorrow marks World Head Injury Day and according to Carstens, brain injuries in children often have a greater potential to heal and regain lost functionality, provided there is prompt and appropriate emergency care, as well as specialised care after the injury, followed by intensive multidisciplinary therapy.
ALSO READ: Miracle recovery for baby on life support at Waterfall City Hospital
“The neuroplasticity of children’s brains means they often have the most to gain from rehabilitative therapies as soon as possible after injury.
“In Hannah-Grace’s case, although she was withdrawn at first, she grew in confidence and showed progress in important functional areas – engaging in symbolic play, initiating activities and improving her social skills.
“Most poignantly, she showed tender attentiveness and empathy for a child she befriended in the ward,” Carstens says.
Psychological support and play therapy
Given the trauma of the accident and the loss of her father, psychological support and play therapy were provided as part of the multidisciplinary care Hannah-Grace received.
Physiotherapist Charne Cox helped Hannah-Grace develop her balance, coordination and mobility during her rehabilitation admission.
“At first she couldn’t crawl or walk, but she tried so hard from the beginning that we could see she was going to do well. Every week, we realised she was making such rapid progress that she would not stay as long as we expected,” Cox says.
ALSO READ: Councillors furious after JMPD officer denied medical attention due to City of Joburg’s R35m debt
Making therapy fun and engaging is crucial for capturing children’s attention and activities such as baking, making necklaces and movement games on a big screen TV featuring Hannah-Grace’s favourite cartoon characters were just some of the tools used in her therapy.
Megan says Hannah-Grace is making great strides – literally.
Her walking is almost back to normal, she’s talking in both English and Afrikaans and she’s spending time with Buddy, the Yorkshire terrier she got for Christmas just before the accident.