Found missing man still recovering
He broke both of his legs, his bladder burst and he also sustained brain damage in the incident.
A resident from Mountain View was still recovering at hospital after he fell victim to a hit-and-run incident.
Anthony Hand (32) went missing from his Mountain View home on 19 May, where he lived with his grandmother, his mother Lynette Engelbrecht said.
Fortunately, he was found only two days later.
“He is in Kalafong hospital’s ICU ward where he has been since 21 May,” she said.
“He was involved in a hit-and-run incident in which he was badly injured and we are now praying for his recovery.”
Hand broke both of his legs, his bladder burst and he also sustained brain damage in the incident.
She said she was relieved after searching for 11 days to finally find her son.
“However, my heart broke into a thousand pieces to see him like that,” she said.
This week, Engelbrecht said her son was in ICU for 14 days before he was placed in high care for three days.
She said he was now in the orthopaedic department.
READ MORE: Missing west man found in hospital
“Fortunately, I was able to see him four times,” she said.
“He was very confused due to the brain damage he sustained in the accident.”
She said his brain was still swollen and doctors could not yet determine the full extent of his injuries.
“It’s heartbreaking to see my son like this,” she said.
“He’s got short-term memory loss and struggles to speak.”
She said during his time at Kalafong hospital, Hand underwent two leg operations.
“Doctors said they did not yet want to operate on his bladder. They wanted to assess the situation first,” she said.
Engelbrecht said her son went for another operation on Saturday where doctors operated on Hand’s left leg.
READ MORE: West man still missing three weeks later
“His leg grew back askew,” she said.
She said there was still a long road to recovery.
“The doctors said when he is released from hospital, he will be placed in a wheelchair,” she said.
“But I know that he will pull through.
“It also seems that we would have to relocate to a more wheelchair-friendly home.”
She said she was not able to visit her son at hospital due to Covid-19.
“It’s very hard on us and Anthony does not understand what is going on,” she said.
“Doctors said he will still be in hospital for a couple of weeks, but I will never stop praying for my son.”
In a previous article Engelbrecht explained it was unlike her son to disappear without a trace.
READ MORE: Moot, west schools receive aid packages to fight Covid-19
“He was very concerned about my mother during the lockdown period, where he also lived with her,” she said.
“My son literally just went to the shops for essential goods so that he did not expose himself too much to protect his grandmother.”
She said her son suffered from depression and had epilepsy attacks, adding he was a patient at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital about four years ago.
Engelbrecht thanked everyone who has assisted and supported them during her son’s disappearance and while he was in hospital.
“We ask that people keep praying for him,” she said.
“We miss him terribly and cannot wait for his return home.”
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