Nicole and Kayden Updates
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Our Story
Nicole, her fiancé Jason and their 2 kids live with our parents in a small (non-big 5) game park in South Africa. On 19th October 2022 between 15:00 and 15:30 Nicole, and her 2 children were walking the short distance from her home to her parent’s home. She was walking on an established pathway used daily by family and staff members.
While on the pathway Nicole saw two giraffes. As a qualified guide, Nicole followed all normal protocols for animal encounters. She kept a safe distance and already passed the giraffes when the female giraffe unexpectedly turned, stormed, and attacked them.
The incident happened a few meters from Nicole’s parent’s home. Her brother and mother heard the screams and commotion and ran to assist Nicole. They managed to stand off the female giraffe. Following the incident, both giraffes then walked off into the bush unharmed.
Nicole sustained severe internal and external injuries. She was stabilised on the scene before she was airlifted to a hospital. Her 4-year-old son Kayden sustained head injuries and was transported with an ambulance to the nearest hospital. Her 16-month-old baby Kaia was critically injured and rushed by one of the first responders, with an accompanying family member, to the nearest doctor’s facility. She was sadly declared deceased in the doctor’s room.
Our family is severely traumatized by the incident and the passing of Kaia, but our priority now is to make sure Nicole and Kayden get all the medical attention they need, and that Jason and the rest of the family have the needed resources to support them through the long healing process.
This page gives regular updates on the medical recovery road for Nicole and Kayden.
The family would like to thank everyone for all their messages and support in this difficult time. We appreciate each and everyone one.
The medical expenses are increasing and the family is in need of financial support. If you feel inclined to, please see below for options to contribute to Nicole's medical expenses.
EFT - Donation Details
Christa Panos
Nedbank, Cheque account
Branch code: 198765
Account no: 1087497965
Ref: NicoleandKayden
GoFundMe Details
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Updates - Nicole
28 January 2023
I read over all Nicole's updates today and felt so grateful for how far she has come🙏. The last 3 months feels like a complete haze to all of us. Updates have been few and far between mostly because we are all quite exhausted from the chaos this tragedy brought to our lives.
Having finally spent some time at home back in the forest has been good for all of us.
It has also been hard trying to restart life there. All spaces need to be reorganised. Nicole has lost so much of her life in that one instant. Her house on Kuleni is not accessible at all for her wheelchair so she will not be able to live their again. It was her home with Kaia and on top of all the other trauma to also loose the space she called home with her babies just adds so many extra layers of loss to deal with.
Nicole's physical recovery is complicated to comment on. Spinal-cord injury is just complex and it is hard to describe improvement in any linnear way.
Her hand with the drop wrist and radial nerve injury saw little to no improvement for the longest time but then showed sudden improvement over the span of 3-4 days last week and she can now at least lift her hand again. It is still very weak and all fingers are not yet working but there is quite a lot of improvement on the wrist which is really great🙌.
Not having that hand and wrist working properly delays her in many ways with her other recovery as well so it really is huge to see the wrist starting to respond. Since the sudden improvement in the wrist she is able to have a bit more mobility when sitting or lying in bed now since she can use both hands to shift herself.
We are starting to get on top of the bouts of nerve pain. She is has not taken any pain meds since being discharged and we try to manage pain mostly with massage and any movement that promotes circulation.
She has had follow up x-rays and it seems the spine and humerus are both well set and healing well.
In the mean time she continues to see a physio regularly and tries to get active in any way possible to stimulate her spine.
We try everything we can at home and still tries to get her to stand as much as possible while looking for small improvements every day.
We still get so many messages of hope and support. We are very grateful for this. Every bit helps🙌🙏🌱
Updates - Nicole
3 January 2023
Being back at home has been very healing for all of us. We have not been able to come back since the accident happened on 19 October, and finally being able to sleep at home for a number of days has been a big relief.
For Nicole, home is still altered. Her current home is not at all accessible by Wheelchair so she has not yet been able to sleep in her own bed and likely will never again live in her current home. For her home means sleeping in her brothers bed in our house with Jason and Kayden alongside her.
While it is calming to be be back home it comes with a reminder of the tremendous loss endured. For Nicole this has meant getting ripped out of her life, her home, her bed, her body and everything that she regarded as hers. The loss of Kaia overshadowes all of this. Especially over the big days and as we move into a new year. The idea of doing so without her is very hard to bear.
Despite so much loss, we have to all keep looking forward and keep focus on rebuilding all of our lives. Nicole's physical revovery is very hard work and we have had to study, learn, research, ask and try so many new things. Spinal Cord Injury is complex yet recovery seems simple- do more than what you did yesterday, be patient and never stop trying. We are still in very early days but the gains we are making is exciting.
Advocating for an early rehab discharge feels more and more like the right thing. Her initial dischsrge date was 4 Feb. We got her discharged on 22 Dec.
The team at Nurture in Ballito has been very good to her and we are so grateful for all the help but you cannot help but notice the tremendous amount of limitations that they work with simply because of the required rules and procedures that are neccessary for such a facility to function. While all well intended it also severly limits the possible healing and progress a patient in Nicole's position can make.
Bringing her home we were aware it will be hard work. Fitting in all the required exercises and finding time to try new things to stimulate her muscles, mind and spinal cord and then looking for every possible small gain to celebrate takes a lot of time and energy. The small rewards are absolutley worth it however. Rewards like seeing her abdominal muscles work. Bringing her to standing position has been scary but she got good at it so fast- at first she could not manage 2 minutes without feeling sick. Now she can stand up to 20 minutes at a time and can lift her arms one by one while keeping balance. This is an amazing achievement!
She has has no feeling on the right hand side of her body below the breast but over the last few weeks have started noticing that she can now feel temperature change such as hot and cold there. While she cant feel the muscles there they seem to be activating when she does abdominal exercises.
The mobility in her left arm has improved tremendously. It is still very painfull but she can now lift it completely. Her left hand is still not working- she still has a drop wrist amd we are hoping the Physio's can help her better with that when she starts seeing them later in Jan.
Daily standing, movement and exercise also seems to be the best cure for nerve pain and she has managed to stay free of all pain meds since her discharge. She has such a great relationship with her body and has learned to start recognising the things that trigger pain and also the activites that help to relieve it.
Kayden is very excited to be back home in his forest. He is understandably scared of the areas where animals are but he has been a different child since coming back to familiar surroundings.
We approach 2023 with a mixed set of emotions remaining extremely grateful for what we have and the amazing support we have been shown to date. We wish everyone a blessed and prosperous 2023 and hope to keep providing exciting updates of progress.
Updates - Nicole
20 December 2022
Rehab has been getting harder and harder for Nicole. Hard because its difficult to stay motivated while not being home to be with and care for Kayden.
We met with her Rehab team and made note of the goals to get her home. We needed to get all equipment sorted, and be on top of her bowel, bladder and shower routines. She needs to be confident in chair to bed transfers and visa versa. We zoned in hard on these goals and with an absolutly amazing effort from everyone - admin team, doctor, Physio, OT and Psychologist as well as the home team and Nicole.
We are super happy to announce that Nicole will be discharged on Thursday🥳.
She will still carry on with all her rehab routines but as an Outpatient from next week.
We are extremely grateful to Jennae Bezuidenhout who very kindly made some of her late husbands equipment available to Nicole to use to enable this early discharge plan to succeed and also Sandy and the Pro- Mobility team that is helping so much to see what else they can get in place before Thursday for equipment. 👩🏻🦽
Nicole still has a lot of work to do and will still come in to Rehab daily but at least she can now go sleep and wake up with Kayden and Jason at her side. The value of that in helping her physical recovery is enormous❤️😊.
We will all be spending Christmas in a friends house with Nicole (tx soooo much Sammy & Fam) and then moving into a longer term rental in Jan. Will be the 10th move we make in 2 months - we are all looking forward to settling into a more settled daily routine🙃🙌.
Thank you so much for all the continued support and interest. We hope everyone will have a blessed Christmas and New Year🌱
Updates - Nicole
14 December 2022
Its been a while since the last update. Our days have been very long and tiring. Moving every 10 days or so. We are hoping to have a more long term rental in place by January so that everyones lives can stabilise a bit.
Kayden is really missing having his mom home and is asking for her to be home more and more. He had his last follow up at the Dr. On Monday and got the all clear. We are extemely grateful for his amazing recovery and the series of small miracles along the way that ensured his survival🙌❤️.
Nicoles last few weeks has been challenging. We are now 8 weeks post the incident and in many ways when we look at her healing it is simply incredible how far she has come in such a short time.
She has made a call to stop all pain meds. First of all to just see how much pain there actually is and to determine her own baseline. And secondly to negate some of the negative effects. Especially nausea and lightheadedness that has been interfering with her ability to complete physio sessions. She has been off all pain meds for 10 days and is coping fine. She gets nerve pain quite a lot but is managing that with massage and some passive movements to boost circulation .
Coming to grips with a bowel and bladder routine has been daunting and we are slowly but surely getting some wins there. This week her focus is also on starting to experiment with the correct equipment she will need on discharge and seeing what will be paid by her Medical and what we have to get extra.
Despite the challenges her physical strenght improves so much on a weekly basis. Things she could not do a week ago suddenly looks easy after a few days of practice. Its amazing how quickly the body responds, adapts and starts working to the goals you set.
We are learning so much about Spinal Cord Injury through this process. The uncertainty around almost everything is very hard to come to terms with however one thing we are constantly reminded off is the fact that each spinal cord injury is very unique and your healing will be specific to you only. You simply cannot compare your healing or your progress with anyone else. You have to be your own measure.
The video shows Nicole's progress in just a few days - about 1 week.
Updates - Nicole
30 November 2022
Rehab has been going well. Nicole is learning how to transfer from her bed to her wheelchair herself and doing a lot of work on her upper body strenght and stability. She has been learning to sit by herself unsupported. This was extremely hard at first but she is managing it better and better everyday.
The rehab team is focused mostly on her upper body and not doing much with her lower body. She keeps feeling needles and pins and what she describes as shooting pains in her legs, so as family we make sure to go every afternoon to do passive exercises with her legs, do massaging for circulation and try to get extra pressure on her feet as much as possible. Every bit of stimulation helps her chances of recovering some function in the long term.
With the help of friends we have managed to find an experienced Physio that specialises in patients with Spinal Cord Injuries. We will move Nicole to her in the new year for more focused therapy. She is based in Hillcrest and it looks like we will have to set up a home for Nicole and Jason in that area for at least the next year so she can continue to get therapy for long term recovery.
Some highlights this week has been the splint on the humerus that came off today. She is using that arm more and more and was able to activate the shoulder today as well before too much stiffness sets in.
The rehab will also arrange a consult with a seating specialist this week and then we will need to start looking at getting her equipment for home, including a wheelchair.
Jason continues to join her for morning Physio sessions and Kayden has even joined a few.
We are in the mean time still looking for accommodation for about 2 weeks over December. If anyone knows of any possible places please do let us know. It will need to be wheelchair friendly since Nicole will join us at home for at least 1 day each week.
Thank you so much for the continued support❤️🙌
Updates - Nicole
24 November 2022
Nicole has been adjusting well to her new rehab schedule and has kept up with her general trend to perform above expectation💪.
She has mostly been focusing on learning how to shower and transferring to and from her wheelchair. She is able to sit up by herself unassisted for much longer now and is starting to spend a bit more time in the chair everyday.
Our goal for this week was to get the go ahead to take her out today for Kayden's Birthday. We all went for training and worked hard to make sure we can cope with all the transfers so that they will be confident to let her go for a few hours.
It all went very well and Kayden loved having his mom at his Birthday Party. It was really special for all of us to have her here with is for a few hours outside of the hospital❤️.
Updates - Nicole
20 November 2022
It has been a hard week in Rehab. As your physical wounds heal the reality of how your life has changed in a split second seems to hit a bit harder every day. Grieving the loss of Kaia has been difficult for all of us but even more so for Nicole that just has not had the space or privacy to cry and scream at the world as you sometimes need to do.
She is feeling heartbroken😰 at not being able to be home and to comfort Kayden that went through this traumatic incident with her every day. She does not know what the future looks like. She is healing well but still has no feeling below the waist. At the moment the Rehab has advised that she can only be discharged on 3 Feb. That is still a very long time to be without her family. And we dont yet know what happens after that. So planning anything long term is just still really hard.
We are all still hopefull of more recovery for her legs and will seek some extra help and advice to see how we can help her healing.💪
In the mean time we are trying to see if we can get her out for a few hours in the upcoming week to have a small party for Kayden that turns 4 on Thursday.
Updates - Nicole
16 November 2022
Nicole has kept up her good start to the week. Since Monday she has had her first shower and today despite tears and fears managed to sit holding herself up. Jason has been allowed to join her morning Physio sessions so at least she now has a gym buddy.💪🙌.
Today she had two very intense pain attacks that completely overwhelmed her. Drs did n thorough examination and concluded that it is most likely nerve pain. While it was very painful and scary- she felt like she could not breathe- its a possible sign of some nerves firing and parts of her body "waking up" and coming out of Spinal Shock.
We are all hoping this is correct and its not the result of one of her other internal injuries. She still has a lot of broken ribs etc. so she is being monitored to keep an eye on these sudden onset painful episodes.
Her first "family meeting" is scheduled for tomorrow and we hope to get feedback from the team working with her to get an idea of what her immediate future looks like.
In the mean time we are preparing a small party for Kayden that is turning 4 next week. 🥰.
Thank you again to everyone for your interest, love and support for Nicole and our family's healing Journey. ❤️
Updates - Nicole
14 November 2022
"Hello I just finished therapy. I got to sit in wheelchair.
It was my teams goal to get me to sit in wheelchair by Friday.
I reached all the end of the week goals today.
So I'm proud of my body and myself for getting it right.
I also did my session outside, got to see birds and trees and had sun on my body."
Next goal is to get her into the shower.
Feels great to have these little daily accomplishments. 💪😊
Blood pressure that has been extremely low is also a bit up today and less dizziness and nausea.
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Updates - Nicole
13 November 2022
Nicole got a pull up bar fitted over her bed on Saturday to be able to pull herself up more frequently. She managed 30 pull ups with her right arm (and a broken scapula) on Sunday morning 💪😊.
She is also starting to use the left hand and arm as much as possible (in modified ways not to disrupt the healing of the broken humerus) but to encourage the use of that hand and help with the healing of the nerves in her left arm.
She is still struggling with dizzyness a lot and has very low blood pressure, hoping the extra movement will help increase the low blood pressure. She is not yet in a wheelchair but did manage to sit up twice over the weekend. Huge goal for this week to be able to get her to sit in a wheelchair.
This coming Wednesday it will be 4 weeks since the incident. We are all still in so much shock and our lives completely disrupted. We have been getting continued support from friends, family and strangers with food, accommodation and prayers and are so grateful to all family and staff at home that is doing everything possible to keep things going at Bhejane. 🙏
We have a meeting at the rehab later this week and can from there start planning for the next 6 months with Nicole & Jason.
Updates - Nicole
12 November 2022
Nicole has been settling in well at the Rehab. We are very pleased with everyone there. They have been so extremely friendly and helpful it made her transition much easier.
Since kids are not allowed in the wards her case manager has managed to get her into a private room so that Kayden can visit. They both really need this bit of time togehter so we are very grateful for that.
She has not met her full team yet. She will probably only get properly started on Monday and then we should get some news by the end of next week in terms of her expected length of stay.
In the mean time we are exploring some short and longer term accommodation options near the rehab so we can start mapping her and our lives for the next 6 months.
She is still struggling a lot with dizziness which has been making sitting up every day hard. Hoping that this will resolve soon.
Updates - Nicole
11 November 2022
Got a surprise call today saying Nicole is getting ready to be transferred.
Got some normal clothes on her and rushed through to get her packed up.
Just arrived safely at the Rehab in Ballito.🥰
Updates - Nicole
10 November 2022
Nicole was still feeling quite nauseous today when having to sit up. Hopefully this starts improving since it is how she needs to start her day every morning.
She is still in spinal shock but we have got a lot of faith for her to heal in time ❤️
Dr says she will only be able to go to the rehab possibly next week, which she and us was not so happy about. But it is important that they are sure before they send her. They do not want her to go back to the hospital mid-way through rehab, so everything happens for a reason and we are keeping good faith that she is in good hands. 🙏
The next 2- 3 days will be spent prepping for rehab and making sure she is ready to be discharged from the hospital.
Updates - Nicole
9 November 2022
Nicole has been feeling very dizzy and nauseous the last 2 days. By this afternoon it finally started settling a bit and she started feeling better again. She sat up for 2 hours in the chair.
In the afternoon we finally got news that she will be moving to the rehab facility in Ballito. Hoping that it will be tomorrow or Friday. She is very excited and looking forward to seeing some sunlight🌞🌿.
We spoke to her doctor this morning. He did the follow up assessment on Kayden. Kayden still needs to be monitored for at least 3 weeks but he is healing well.
He is happy with Nicole's progress to date. He explained that her back and spine injuries are very severe and while we have no guarantees at this stage, she has got a lot of control over her future healing.
The rehab process will be very important and she needs to be prepared to work hard.
We know Nicole can do that so we are feeling positive for her recovery🙏❤️
Updates - Nicole
8 November 2022
The rehab from Ballito came today to do an assessment and start the application process for Nicole. We hope to have news by tomorrow if it will be approved or not.🤞
She is still feeling very dizzy again so did not sit up today but did her other exercises with the physio. The physio is very happy with the progress of her left hand. She is gaining strength well. She also commended Nicole on her great attitude. Says she does not complain at all like many other patients☺️❤️.
Neurosurgeon mentioned that she is still in spinal shock and it is still too early to properly assess her legs and lower body.
We will get more comprehensive feedback from him tomorrow when we go to see him for Kayden's follow up assessment.
She enjoyed a nice long visit with Jason and Kayden again❤️❤️
Hoping for good news tomorrow🙏❤️
Updates - Nicole
7 November 2022
She was feeling very tired and nauseas all day, so did not do most of her physio.
At the moment she is waiting to find out if there is authorisation to be moved to a rehab facility.
The stitches and staples in her back and head was removed yesterday the wounds are healing well.
At the moment we are a little in limbo while we wait to hear about next steps. If the Rehab facility can accept her and the costs etc.
Hoping there are no issues and she can be admitted to rehab shortly. 🙏
Updates - Nicole
6 November 2022
Nicole has gone today without having to get extra oxygen.
She also had a very optimistic approach today and felt very positive about healing ❤️🩹 her mood was a bit more up then yesterday.
She was able to sit longer today, and when Jason & Kayden was with her they got to see her sit, and sit close to her. This was a lot of fun for all 3 of them and really good for Nicole’s , as well as Kayden’s healing.
Jason also cheered Cola up a lot - and got her laughing quite a bit.
Not yet in a wheelchair, but working towards it.
Looking forward to all of the upcoming assessments this week and reaching more milestones.
We would like to thank everyone rooting for Cola and keeping her and her little family in your thoughts & prayers. We all really appreciate the physical & emotional support.
❤️❤️
Updates - Nicole
5 November 2022
Nicole slept a lot better last night in the new room. But had a very challenging morning & a very emotional day. The new ward has got some challenges and she is finding she has to ask for some of the care that was given by default in ICU.
She knows to ask and remind the staff as needed but is also just feeling very overwhelmed. When they placed the sleeve and boot she was asked if it is too tight and she had to remind them that she does not have any feeling in her legs. It is probably normal in the handover process and the new team will get to know her soon enough, but she is finding the transition a bit overwhelming none the less.
Both My mom and dad spoke to the ward sister and the nurses today - I spoke to the ward sister on night shift. They all seem very caring and reassured us that she will be taken care of. We hope she feels more confident again tomorrow.
She did not get taken off oxygen today - maybe tomorrow, we will see how it goes. We did get news today that staples in her head will possibly get taken out on Monday - we are happy about that because they will give that wound a good clean - the scab has been causing some discomfort for her and very difficult for her to just scratch around it or to scratch her head at this point.
Kayden got to see her quickly today ( only allowed in quickly ) and he is being so strong for his mommy and it makes her happy to see him. He just wants to lie next to her but he understands quite well he cant and gives her gentle kisses.
On the plus side of the room: We are very thankful for some privacy for her to be able to cry and process a bit. We are thankful for the slight bit of sunrays coming through and thankful that we are allowed to take her some plants now. ( was not allowed in ICU)
She did her normal exercises today by sitting upright on the side of the bed with some support.
Dr is very happy they did not operate on the right scapula - she is still in a lot of pain but definitely slowly regaining strength. They are also giving less painkillers , only when she needs it the most - so she is feeling more pain but it is also good to support her livers healing.
There is still a very long process ahead for her. Right now her next major goal is to be able to sit in a wheelchair.
Updates - Nicole
4 November 2022
Mornings have been getting busy with lots of physio that includes breathing exercises, movements for her right hand that had an injury to the radial nerve and sitting in a chair for as long as she can.
The right hand is coming along nicely. She has regained control of her thumb and index finger and says she feels like the middle and ring fingers are coming to life a little as well.
She saw a Psychiatrist this morning. They wanted to put her on anti-depressants but she declined and they thankfully agreed that she does not need it right now.
Suprise of the day is that we were told mid morning that she will be moved to the ward after all🙌🙌. She was moved this afternoon and will get a good night sleep tonight with no overhead lights or beeping machines and she can look out of a window tomorrow morning for the first time in 16 days🥳🙌❤️.
She might be taken off oxygen tomorrow as well so that is good news and will make it easier for Kayden to see his mom looking more like normal with less gadgets all over her.
All together a good day. Looking forward to more small step ups tomorrow❤️❤️
Updates - Nicole
3 November 2022
Nicole sat up in a chair for 1.5 hours today. She will be moved to a chair for as long as she can manage everyday now.
Her face is still very swollen and her lips are still a bit numb since the surgery but at least the pain is manageable.
They allowed Kayden to visit her for 5 minutes today. That was really good for both of them. He is missing mom very much and likewise for Nicole.
Dr. does not feel that she is ready to move to a ward so for now she will stay in ICU. We are hoping that she can be moved to a Rehab facility soon. It looks like the Dr wants to send her to Entabeni in Berea so we will start looking for accommodation in that area in the mean time although its not yet 100% confirmed that she will go there.
Her mood and general wellbeing was a bit better today than yesterday❤️❤️🙏
Kayden on his way to see his mommy
Updates - Nicole
2 November 2022
Post-jaw-operation swelling is still a lot and Nicole is very uncomfortable since her bottom lip is still very numb - we are hoping by tomorrow this eases a bit.
Nicole sat up again today with assistance. She is feeling very low today and getting tired of the hospital. If she keeps improving there is a chance that she will be moved out of ICU on Friday.
Looking forward to some more testing tomorrow to see if she is ok to get moved🙏❤️
Updates - Nicole
1 November 2022
Yesterday's operations was much longer than expected and having had work done on her face/jaw, meant waking up was a bit more traumatic. Nicole struggled a bit after the surgery last night and took nearly 2 hours to settle down before she was able to fall asleep again.
She is looking much better today. Feeling very down and "hung over" from all the meds but looking good all together. Her left arm is stable and has now been repositioned in a more comfortable way. Her forearm and hand was very swollen since the spine surgery but that has also now come down and the hand is back to its normal size again.
The swelling on the face is less than we expected and she is able to talk ok.
The lung drain finally came out as well and the doctor is happy with the follow up X rays, so we hope its safe to say that the collapsed lung is on the heal🙌❤️.
Highlights for today is that although she did not feel anything, the doctor. confirmed that her foot did indeed move a little when he asked her to move it so we are very excited about that🙌☺️. They also let her hang her legs off the bed today and let her sit (with nurses supporting her) on the side of the bed.
She says it was a bit scary- felt like she was going to fall down and felt very nauseous but she managed the whole exercise ok in terms of pain.
We showed her videos of Kayden being in a funny mood and that managed to brighten her up quite a bit as well.
Her blood-count has finally also stabilised, so at this stage no extra blood is needed🙌🙏❤️.
Thank you so much for all the continued prayers and support. Its been a positive day and we hope to keep reporting more good progress❤️❤️❤️
Updates - Nicole
31 October 2022
Cola has gone into Theater now for her left arm & jaw 🙏 .
Just saw the surgeon that fixed the humerus. He says it went well.
The radial nerve was not damaged rather just irritated so he is happy that will heal 100% in the weeks to come. Arm should heal well.
The scapula is quite badly fractured. It has many fractures but does not seem to be pushing into any muscles etc. The upper limb specialist he had with him in theater recommends it be left alone to heal just with a brace but they will consult and get more opinions to be sure of how they want to treat it.
Spoke to maxio-facial surgeon. Says it all went well. He is very happy. The jaw will heal well and she will recover to 100% normal function for the jaw❤️🙏🙌
Thank you , thank you , thank you for everyone’s love, prayers and support from a far ❤️❤️🙏
Updates - Kayden
30 October 2022
Kayden is still doing well at home☺️❤️
Updates - Nicole
30 October 2022
Nicole was very tired today, and although she is not looking forward to the procedure tomorrow - she is excited to get it out of the way.
There has been a slight complication with the planned surgery on her arm ( left ). They suspect damage to the radial nerve - and will possibly have to put a splint on her wrist after the humerus operation tomorrow.
She will have a CT scan in the morning to determine the nature of the fracture on her right scapula - to determine whether that needs to be operated or not.
We are all hoping that will not be necessary.
Please keep Nicole in your Prayers for tomorrow’s operations ( jaw and arm )
It will be in the afternoon. ❤️
Updates - Kayden
29 October 2022
Kayden is doing well at home also and keeping us on our toes. ☺️❤️
Updates - Nicole
29 October 2022
One of the drains was removed today. The lung drain is still in but her breathing is good. She will be getting more blood again from tomorrow, especially in preparation for surgery on Monday.
The Neuro-surgeon did some directional tests on her foot yesterday. Although she says she feels like she was just guessing the direction of movement, he was quite happy that she got it right every time. Today she felt discomfort and a bit of pain in her left leg and foot. Its the first time since the accident that she felt something in her foot so that is really great❤️❤️.
Her Dr is anxious for them to complete the left arm and Jaw surgery so that he can get her into a wheelchair, says its important for her feet to touch the ground so I am sure that will be a big goal for next week.
Her right hand is strong enough to hold a device since yesterday so she has been listening to some books and watching Friends- that has always been her feel good series☺️❤️.
Thank you for the continued support. She is overwhelmed with all the love and prayers streaming in daily. .
Updates - Kayden
28 October 2022
Kayden had a good day.
He complains of headaches but is not interested in any medicine of any kind. He is at least sleeping and eating well and is applying all his mommy's rules even when she is not there☺️❤️.
He was also very happy to see some more family today.
Updates - Nicole
28 October 2022
Post operative observations are good. She has got two drains- one from the lung and one from the back. The back-drain will be removed in the morning and we will get another update on the lung shortly but it is looking good. Her breathing has been improving every day.
She has been complaining about her right arm. She feels like the movement is restricted. X- Rays from Yesterday showed that there is indeed a fracture on that side as well😰. She will go for a CT scan on Monday to determine to exact nature of the fracture and to see if intervention will be needed.
So far she will be going for surgery on Monday for the left arm and Jaw.
She looks awake and glowing today. They gave her a great hair wash and she was even able to make a few jokes with Jason❤️❤️.
Updates - Kayden
27 October 2022
We got the feedback from his scans and he was cleared to go home today.
The fractures seem to be healing well and there is no evidence of further complications.
He was very happy to be set free from the hospital❤️❤️
Kayden will have a checkup in 2 weeks again , otherwise we just need to monitor him at home.
Update - Kaia
Kaia's cremation was at 8h30 today. The process lasted about 2 hours.
Jason was allowed to go in and sit with Nicole for that time. Tegan was with Kayden.
The rest of us were quiet at home to celebrate our time with her physical presence.
Once Nicole is better and out of hospital we will have a proper service for Kaia Baba.❤️❤️.
Updates - Nicole
27 October 2022
Jason spent about 2 hours with her this morning. Much needed time for them to just be together.
She has been complaining about her right arm and cant lift it all the way. She had another set of Xrays done today to determine why her arm is so limited. The left arm is still very swollen from the Back operation but it has come down a little. They will take her to theater on Monday to reset her arm. We dont know about the jaw yet.
Positives are that her blood count finally seems to have stopped dropping so she has not been getting any extra blood today. Her lung has not drained much since this morning. If it stays that way by tomorrow morning the drain can be removed.
She is eating well and has got good colour in her face. She is however starting to feel the effect of being in ICU for so long with constant lights , alarms etc. and no quiet space to mourn her Kaia.
She really appreciates of all the messages and gifts that keep arriving🙏❤️
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Updates - Kayden
Updates - Nicole
26 October 2022
Kayden his scans today.
We are still waiting for the feedback from the dr. He was very brave and got everything done without a problem.
Had a good day and is recovering well. Just really frustrated at having to be confined to a room.
We have received so many gifts and toys for him. It makes the worlds difference. Thank you so much🙏🏽😊
26 October 2022
Nicole had a hard morning. Her lung had to be drained and she was a bit overwhelmed with the sudden procedure.
She has developed some swelling in the broken arm and was just feeling a bit miserable from the anesthetic still.
By afternoon she was feeling better. Had a smile on her face and a good appetite.
She says she thinks that she is feeling pins and needles in her left knee and felt some discomfort on her right leg. All great signs at this stage of healing💪🏼.
One day at a time is all we are aiming for right now and she is doing great with that❤️❤️
Updates - Kayden
25 October 2022
Kayden has been in the bed next to Nicole in the ICU and has to date not shown any serious symptoms of complications from his skull fractures but being in ICU and seeing his mom in her condition is taking its toll on him.
He has been feeling very sad and gets a little out of control when tired. They moved him today to a private (isolation) room in the Pediatric Ward. This is a good change.
There is a window so he can at least start tuning into the rhythm of day and night again and a much more comfy sleeper couch for us which is really great.
We have been taking turns staying with him and are all very exhausted and sleep deprived at the moment. He is having CT scans tomorrow.
Updates - Nicole
25 October 2022
Nicole went in for surgery at 8h00 and came out at 14h30. Overall it went well.
There were no further complications from the lacerated liver and collapsed lung thankfully. They decided against fixing the arm today and focused only on correcting the spine.
We have some time before the arm and jaw becomes urgent so that will perhaps get done next week.
The doctors are very happy with the procedure they did today. They managed to get the spine nice and straight again and put the necessary support in to reset the damaged area.
For now we are very relieved that she made it through the long procedure ok and that they had success with the first op to straighten the spine.
It will be a good 2 weeks before they can starting testing for reflexes etc, so for now the focus is on getting inflammation down and preventing infection so that the process of healing her back muscles and spinal cord can begin. ❤️❤️
Updates - Kayden
23 October 2022
He had a good day today. Our biggest challenge is keeping him busy. He is good most of the time and only gets difficult when he gets tired.
He seems to have some pain and headache but is otherwise coping fine.
He remembers everything that happened and feels very angry. Spent some time with Dad - Jason and his Khulu- Dylan today. We will know more about his progress after his scans this week.
Was allowed out for a quick bit of fresh air and sunlight today.
Updates - Nicole
23 October 2022
Update on Nicole. She has been coping a little better after getting some different pain meds. She ate well today (mostly yogurt and soup) and had some cool tea.
They were able to wash her head today. That was a big relief. She had a big gash on top of her head that was stitched up on Wed and we were not yet allowed to clean all the blood and sand until today. Feeling a little better after that head wash.
She has been getting extra blood over the last two days and that seemed to help her a lot. Her brace was also adjusted a little and that seemed to provide a little relief. Physio is happy with her breathing exercises.
She is still not able to move her feet or legs but thinks that she can feel some pins and needles in her knees. That is a big positive for her to hold on to. Swelling on the broken jaw has gone down quite a bit that also makes eating and talking a little easier.
She has bonded well with her nurses and they are taking great care of her. Will be going for more scans tomorrow morning to assess readiness for surgery.
Thank you for all the continued prayers. We really can feel it and it keeps us all able to help Nicole to stay positive and focused on healing ❤️🙏🏽
Updates - Kayden
22 October 2022
He is doing well but very angry at the hospital staff for hurting him with needles🙃.
He had a hard morning but sleeping peacefully now.
He will be going for scans next week to see how the fractures to his skull are healing.
He is feeling ok most of the time and being managed to prevent infection.
Kayden pretending to be superman during his ECG test.
Updates - Nicole
22 October 2022
Nicole is stable. All her readings are good so no further complications has been picked up for the moment and we are hoping her organs and any damaged blood vessels are healing so that she will be approved for surgery next week.
She has got excruciating pain and is spending every waking moment trying to navigate the pain. Please send her healing love and light. She needs all the help she can get.
Overview of Nicole's injuries is as follow
She has a broken jaw- she is coping fine with it for the time being. It will be repaired once all the bigger procedures for her spine has been done. Her arm is broken and will hopefully be repaired with the spine operation next week.
She has got a laceration to the liver and pneumothorax for one of the lungs. Some broken ribs. These are the most important internal injuries they want to give time to heal first, since they can do a significant amount of healing themselves before she is operated on.
Her spine has got some breaks but the spinal chord is intact and we are placing all hope and faith in her team of specialists to work their magic on her spine for a positive long term outcome.
Thank you so much for everybody's support , it is so greatly appreciated and it is felt in our little corner of healing where Cola and Kayden is in the ward. Please keep sending love and prayers ❤️
At the scene - Kayden
19 October 2022
Although he was seriously hurt, Kayden was conscious throughout the incident. But he was such a trooper. He knew his mommy and sister were very hurt.
He was quiet and in shock but his uncle kept him busy with technology.
Once the ambulances arrived, they took over and he was taken to a nearby hospital, accompanied by his aunt.
At the scene - Nicole
19 October 2022
Due to the inaccessibility of the area, it was very difficult to get immediate help for Nicole.
She was in a lot of pain and could not move. It took about 3 hours to get her in a position where they could load her into the ambulance.
It was decided though that due to the nature of her injuries, she needed to be airlifted. As we live in a rural area, it took another 2 hours for the helicopter to arrive.
It was a very stressful wait for everyone. Although Nicole was in a lot of pain and very worried about her kids, she stayed strong throughout the whole period.
