Joshua was born premature at 33 weeks gestation 20 June 2016, his head circumference of 45cm was more then his length of 43cm to emphasize the amount of access fluid in his brain. He had the first brain operation to insert a VP shunt at 10 days old. The doctors did not expect him to survive, he was on a ventilator and we had many setbacks, he started having seizures and his brain was #hemorrhaging losing large amounts of blood.
He had several blood and plasma infusions to keep him alive. He spent the first 2 months in Neonatal ICU, he fought like a champion and pulled through.He is dependant on a shunt to live (a device with a thin piece of plastic tubing and a catheter) which drains the fluid from his brain to his stomach. He has developed many conditions as a result of #Hydrocephalus, namely #CerebralPalsy (Hemiplegia), severe Cortical Visual Impairment, #HipDysplasia, #Epilepsy, #ChiariMalformation ,#Scoliosis, missing Septum Pellucidum, global developmental delay and #hypertonia.
We are just an average couple with no significant medical history, so having a medically complex child has been a great shock to us.He has had a total of 6 operations in his short existence, 3 of them being brain surgeries, diagnosed with 10 different conditions, has had uncountable hours of therapy and doctors appointments. His daily activities are so challenging and he cannot perform any tasks independent
ly such as sitting, standing, crawling, playing, eating or drinking.
He needs an Occupational therapist, Physio therapist, Speech therapist, Vision therapist and also requires us or a caregiver to carry out these various therapies on a daily basis. Although he has many conditions, the fighting spirit in this child is remarkable, he has come such a long way and is getting very close to sitting and crawling each day. He is beating the odds and with the right treatment and therapy has a chance at developing normally.
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