Doctors postpone surgery on baby from Standerton
“Usually, the skull bones of babies with scaphocephaly are not fused as there are still soft gaps, but in Hancko’s case, his skull was already completely developed during Elmoné’s pregnancy,” explained grandmother Liesie van der Merwe.
Hancko Strydom’s surgery was postponed because of complications. He is only a few months old and suffers from scaphocephaly, a condition where the skull is already hardening and has no space for the brain to grow. Without surgery, the condition might lead to brain damage.
The Standerton community helped the Strydom family to attend the Red Cross Children’s Hospital (RCCH) in Cape Town, where the baby had to undergo surgery this week.
The Strydom family departed for Cape Town on November 15. Liesie van der Merwe, Hancko’s grandmother, announced the safe arrival of the family on November 16.
Good luck messages and prayers flooded in from the community and Elmoné Strydom, Hancko’s mother, thanked everyone for their support.
On November 18, Hancko was admitted to RCCH. The family faced many hiccups before the surgery; Elmoné’s phone was stolen shortly after arriving.
While waiting for the doctors, they discovered Hancko was not admitted into the hospital’s system. This extended Hancko’s wait for the surgery for another three days.
According to Van der Merwe, the doctors evaluated Hancko’s situation and concluded his condition was extreme.
“Usually, the skull bones of babies with scaphocephaly are not fused as there are still soft gaps, but in Hancko’s case, his skull was already completely developed during Elmoné’s pregnancy,” explained Van der Merwe.
This means Hancko’s surgery would yield a bigger risk. Another observation they made was that Hancko had lost more blood than normal during routine exams and blood tests.
Hancko was taken for additional tests to assess whether they could go through with the surgery without him losing copious amounts of blood. The surgery was postponed as Hancko would not have stopped bleeding during the surgery.
“We are grateful that the doctors could catch this problem. If Hancko had been operated, we surely would have lost him,” said Van der Merwe.
A team of doctors will see the infant on November 27 to further assess his situation and devise a new plan to continue the surgery.
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