STELLALANDER-DELAREYVILLE: Rescued from a devastating house fire, more than half of Resego Lekgema’s small body was badly burnt leaving her fighting for her life for months in the specialised pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Netcare Waterfall City Hospital.
Now, after some six months in hospital, Resego (6) is continuing her recovery after being discharged from rehabilitation and making progress that a few months earlier seemed barely possible. “When Resego was admitted to the PICU in October last year, she had burns covering almost 60% of her total body surface area, and 10% inhalation burns inside her lungs,” says pediatric intensivist Dr Palesa Monyake. The little girl was placed on an oscillator machine to support her breathing, and a multidisciplinary team including Dr Monyake, a pediatric pulmonologist, pediatric surgeon Dr Vered Lack and the caring nursing staff set about the long and painstaking process of treating her burns and fighting the ever-present threat of infection. “Resego had a very difficult road, but from the start she showed incredible tenacity. Her body’s immune system was in shock, and she developed sepsis and multiorgan failure, which are unfortunately fairly common with severe burns. Several times, we feared for her life, but somehow she pulled through,” Dr Monyake says. After five long months in hospital with her parents and devoted grandmother by her side, the hospital staff threw a party for Resego to celebrate as she was at last well enough to be discharged for the next stage of her recovery. “In late February, when she was breathing well and could eat, Resego was transferred a rehabilitation hospital,” says Professor Andre Mochan, a neurologist who practises at the medical rehabilitation facility. “After being so ill, Resego’s lungs, heart, liver, and other organs were affected, and from being confined to bed for so long, we needed to help her rebuild her muscles and regain her functioning. “The burns scars on her face, limbs and trunk also needed to be carefully managed. As scars heal, they contract, which makes movement difficult and can potentially be disfiguring if not appropriately addressed,” he says. “Although pain was not a major feature anymore by this point, Resego was scared, anxious and irritated after the trauma of her experience and months in intensive care. At first, she was withdrawn and shy, not wanting to talk to anyone, and it wasn’t easy to win her trust so we could start some of her therapies. Jessica Erasmus, an occupational therapist and member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team caring for Resego at rehabilitation hospital, says that Resego was nervous to engage with her new therapy team at first. “My first three days with Resego were primarily aimed at getting a little smile out of her. It wasn’t easy to draw her out of her shell at first, but our dance parties really helped her to open up to us. “We soon discovered she has a very playful nature, she’s always engaged and she’s making good progress so far. Scarring only matures after two years, and so we have a window of opportunity to make the most of the various therapies, including scar massage and pressure garments to promote healing and reorganisation of fibres in the scars, keeping them flat and smooth,” Erasmus says. Over time, Resego may require surgeries to release the tight scar tissue as she grows, however she continues to progress in leaps and bounds. Resego’s mother, Rebaone, expressed her gratitude to all the specialists, nurses and other health practitioners at the hospitals for everything they have done to bring her daughter through the family’s ordeal. “We have been supported with kindness and prayers, and our hearts are full of thanks for the recovery Resego has made. Every day she is getting better, and our prayers have been answered,” said the family, from Delareyville, Atamelang in the North West.
