Boy (9) fights for his life in hospital

A nine-year-old boy from the north of Pretoria continues to fight for his life as he undergoes chemotherapy treatment and battles a rare disorder.

“He’s a fighter,” the boy’s mother Elize Fourie told Rekord in an interview at the Netcare Unitas hospital last week.

During the interview, Fourie said her son – Johan Fourie Jr. – had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) for 34 days.

“On 6 September he slipped into a ‘natural’ coma because of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).”

PRES is a rare syndrome characterised by headaches, confusions, seizures and visual loss.

It may occur as a result of a number of causes, but predominantly malignant hypertension, eclampsia and some medical treatments.

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Fourie added it was just days before when she and her husband, Johan Sr., were told their son was in remission after successful chemotherapy sessions.

“We were relieved, but he still couldn’t walk,” she said.

It was then that tests were performed and the nine-year-old was diagnosed with Guillian-Barre (GB) syndrome.

According to mayoclinic.org, GB syndrome is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks nerves.

“Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms,” according to the site.

“These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralysing your whole body and, in its most severe form, it is a medical emergency.”

The exact cause of the syndrome is allegedly unknown, but it is often preceded by an infectious illness like respiratory failure or stomach flu.

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Fourie said it was not known how the syndrome was triggered, but she attributed it to John’s compromised immune system following chemotherapy.

“We can all breathe it in, but he is susceptible to various bacteria and infections,” she explained.

The complications during Johan Jr.’s recovery from cancer were similar to the shock the parents experienced when they learned of his leukaemia diagnosis after bone marrow samples were taken.

Fourie said it was a pain in her son’s leg which that ultimately lead to the diagnosis after they saw a few specialists.

It was just after the diagnosis in July when chemotherapy was started as it had affected allegedly 80 percent of his bone marrow.

She added that it then when we had to explain to him what he was diagnosed with and how it would be treated.

“His favourite wrestler Roman Reigns recently came to wrestling after undergoing his treatment for leukaemia so we explained to him that he would undergo similar treatment and would return to his normal life,” Fourie said.

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Two weeks later, doctors dealt the parents another blow explaining their son had Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph+ALL).

Ph+ALL, according to stbaldricks.org is a rare subtype of the most common childhood cancer – acute lymphoblastic cancer (ALL).

“Like ALL, Ph+ ALL is a cancer of a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes.”

“What makes it different from standard ALL is that it has a well-known mutation in its genetic code that fuses two genes together (the BCR and ABL genes) that do not normally fuse together. This BCR-ABL gene, also known as the Philadelphia Chromosome, can cause the white blood cells to become cancerous.”

Fourie explained it was for that reason the cancer treatment was changed and harder to treat.

Despite the multiple blows to his journey to recovery, the family said they remained positive and that their son would win the fight.

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