Caylum’s Boston trip is delayed due to hospital visit
Eight-month-old Caylum Willemse and his parents was not able to depart to Boston on Wednesday, due to his infection count being too high.
He spent three days in hospital, but was discharged on Wednesday and is back home.
According to Wayne Willemse, Caylum’s father, the baby’s infection count went up from 11 to 1 195 and his white blood cell count has also gone up on Monday.
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“He has a bacterial infection and was given a drip with stronger antibiotics,” says Wayne.
Caylum was admitted to hospital after he started to vomit and stopped breathing on Monday.
According to his parents, he was rushed to the Netcare Clinton Hospital at 1am and they aren’t sure if he had a convulsion from the fever he experienced over the weekend.
The family was due to leave SA for Boston in the United States on Wednesday, for Caylum’s life-saving posterior tracheomalacia operation, which is scheduled for November 18.
Wayne says when his fever spiked over the weekend they were under the impression it was because he was teething.
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However, well trained as they are with regard to his condition, when he struggled to breath they turned him on his side and rubbed his back until it normalised.
“We believe he might have had a convulsion from the fever,” says Wayne.
When Caylum was admitted he was put on antibiotics immediately, as his infection count was very high and his situation soon deteriorated.
He was then transferred to the paediatric ICU, where he will be closely monitored by the nursing staff and doctors.
Read: WATCH: Caylum fights courageous battle
The doctors aren’t sure if he had a convulsion or if the shaking could be attributed to his high fever, that caused the fast breathing.
“Our concern was that he had contracted a bacterial infection or virus which might have delayed the trip to Boston,” says Wayne.
Doctors ran tests on Caylum to establish the cause of his current condition and established that he will not be able to travel to America tomorrow (Wednesday), because of the high rate of infection.
The life-saving procedure will be done by Dr Russell Jennings, the director of the oesophageal and airway treatment centre at Boston Children’s Hospital.
The operation is due to take place on November 18.
Caylum’s parents are currently looking at flights leaving on Sunday, but have been unsuccessful with bookings.
“We still pray that God will open doors for us, so that everything will work out according to plan,” says Wayne.
