Only a month and a half after his life-changing accident, 14-year-old Hoërskool Nelspruit learner MJ Fouché is due for an urgent brain operation today, Thursday May 9.
Young MJ’s life changed forever when he suffered an accident while playing for the Nellies U14A rugby team at the Grey College U14 Rugby Tournament on March 21. He went in for a tackle and suffered a blow to the head.
After treatment on-field, he was escorted away to hospital by ambulance, where he was treated and underwent an operation. After four nights in the ICU and two in the general care ward, MJ was discharged on March 27.
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He would still have to go for follow-up check-ups with a doctor in Mbombela, though, in order to track his recovery progress. This follow-up was carried out with a local neurosurgeon on April 12, and in a CT scan, he discovered more significant injuries to the brain than what had been previously thought.
The doctor then conducted another CT scan and referred MJ to an educational psychologist as well as a nuclear medicine physician. The psychologist subsequently confirmed that his left frontal lobe suffered significant injury and he was in turn referred to a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.
MJ Fouché receives flowers and well wishes from his friend, Ben-Louw Freeman. > Photos: Blake LinderThe nuclear medicine physician then took MJ for a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to conduct a test to determine whether his cerebrospinal fluid was leaking. After two further scans, they were able to determine that it unfortunately was.
The neurosurgeon contacted the Fouché family as soon as the results had been received and advised them that MJ would be referred to a neurosurgeon in Pretoria. There MJ needs to undergo an urgent operation, which has now been scheduled for today, May 9.
