Born prematurely at 25 weeks and weighing only 850g on June 7, Ayden van Tonder is yet to see the outside of hospital corridors, and his parents, Chané Janse van Vuuren and Elijah van Tonder, are anxious for him to come home.

According to Chané, Ayden is doing well, weighing 1.67kg, and is approaching his third month.

Ayden is now in the care of the Witbank Provincial Hospital after a sonar at Steve Biko Hospital nearly left him stranded.

According to Chané, Ayden was admitted into the Witbank hospital on August 5, after Life Midmed Hospital sent him to Steve Biko for a scan of the hole in his heart. Once the sonar was complete, Life Midmed Hospital demanded a down payment of at least half of Ayden’s hospital bill before considering his readmission.

“Steve Biko Hospital did not want to admit him either, because they said his case was not critical and he was from Middelburg. We then had to wait for an ambulance to transfer him to Witbank,” Chané said.

Since then, Ayden has remained in the hospital on oxygen and is receiving steroids to assist the development of his lungs.

“The sonar has shown that the hole in his heart is not completely closed, but the reason he is receiving oxygen is due to his undeveloped lungs. As per my last conversation with his doctor, Ayden can come home once he can breathe on his own.”

Chané told the Middelburg Observer that the bill racked up at Life Midmed Hospital exceeds R700 000, and that excludes the doctors’ bills and money for X-rays and blood work.

“We are very grateful towards Dr Riekert Swart for not billing us for his treatment and care as Ayden’s paediatrician. He told us that he won’t charge us a cent, because he hopes to see Ayden at school someday. Ayden, however, received treatment from two other paediatricians during his stay at Life Midmed, and those accounts are still outstanding.”

Since Ayden’s birth, a BackaBuddy profile has been established to help his parents with medical expenses. While Ayden’s parents hold on firmly to gratitude for their son’s life, they require assistance with chipping away at the monstrous debt his treatment has incurred.

Anyone able to assist with donations can visit the following BackaBuddy link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/baba-ayden