No more nightmares for Courtney

2008-12-04 09:28

Susan Cilliers

Johannesburg - Courtney Sparrow's hair is growing back nicely after she was savaged by two lions in September.

The nine-year-old girl Zimbabwean was chatting cheerfully about her holiday plans at the Netcare Milpark hospital in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

She was discharged in October, but had to return this week for follow-up examinations.

"I want to go on a boat trip in Durban and see lots of movies, but my dad says we may have to stay in Zimbabwe this holiday."

Ron Sparrow said since September the family hadn't spent much time on their farm in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, and there were many things that needed attention.

"If we get everything done in time, we want to be in South Africa for Christmas. At the moment it's chaos in Zimbabwe with the cholera outbreak."

Emotional return to school

Courtney's return to her school in November was very emotional, Sparrow said.

"It felt nice," Courtney said on Wednesday. Everyone at Kyle School in Masvingo was waiting for her.

He said Courtney cried when she returned to the farm in Zimbabwe after being discharged from hospital, and saw the place where a lion had dragged her from a room through one of the windows. After that another lion mauled her head.

"She's now doing okay now, she no longer has nightmares."

The freak attack took place on a fenced second property on the Sparrows' farm, where two lions were protecting it from land invaders.

The part of Courtney's skull above her left eye that was ripped out by one of the lions was replaced during an operation after it was picked up at the scene by Benji Twele, the Sparrows' gardener.

Twele had also saved Courtney's life by chasing away the lions.

Operations to build up Courtney's left eyebrow ridge and a damaged tearduct are expected to be done next year.

- Beeld