The family of this little boy is desperately trying to raise funds to enroll him into a special needs school.
Six-year-old Francois van Deventer suffers from Cerebral Palsy
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">– a neurological condition which affects his muscle growth.
Mom Kim, 29, says his four-year-old sister Kimberley is very understanding and helpful with boeta Francois.
“He was born premature at 27 weeks and was diagnosed just after his first birthday. I just said to put everything in the Lord’s hands,” she says.
“My husband and I work full time jobs just to try and get everything he needs.”
The family is trying to raise over R50 000 to get Francois back into a special needs school in Maitland where he can receive the necessary treatment and physiotherapy.
“We still owe school fees, thus he is not there anymore. When he was there I could see stimulation, improvement and change within him, now that he’s been home I can see his frustrations.
“Even if he’s walking with a limp, I just want him to walk,” Kim sobs.
Doctors recently dealt them another blow
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">– Francois will have to undergo surgery in October to fix stiff muscles.
Kim says Francois cannot walk, talk, or feed himself. Because he can’t walk, his leg muscles have pulled stiff..
“They will be cutting his muscles from between his thighs. Open it up and try to manoeuvre the muscles for it to strengthen. The cast will then be placed over his leg with a sort of pipe spreading his legs to keep them apart for six to eight weeks,” the mom explains.
The family will be hosting a disco on October 30 at Rooikrans Hall in 9th Avenue, Grassy Park.
If you would like to help little Francois, please contact Kim on 060 309 8622.