Meningitis claims popular boy

2003-09-09 09:33

Vera Schoeman

Port Elizabeth - A popular Grade 2 boy from Bethelsdorp has died six days after contracting the meningitis virus.

It was not necessary to take preventative measures at the Primêre Skool Bethvale, because doctors could not isolate the contagious meningitis-causing virus from nine year old Hyemie Molife 's spinal fluid even though his brain tissue was swollen.

The school principal, Cedric van Vuuren, says the school is mourning the death of Hyemie, because he was a "lovely boy who did well academically. He lived for rugby."

His father, Hyemie Thana, was a rugby star of the Progress club. He retired about two years ago, but his son remained his biggest supporter.

A sad Thana said: "He always wanted me to teach him new moves to outwit the opposition."

He said Hyemie woke up with a terrible headache a week ago, but he wanted to go to school. When he returned home, he immediately went to bed and slept until the evening.

"We thought it odd, because he didn't usually sleep during the day", Thana said. When he woke up, he was nauseous and felt hot to the touch.

The next morning the symptoms were worse and they took him to the doctor, who suspected he had meningitis, but gave him fever medicine and sent them home. The doctor told his parents to bring him back if the medicine didn't help.

He cried

His mother, Sheila, said: "We gave him a cool bath to try and bring down the fever, but it didn't help. His head was so sore that he cried."

The following day they took him to a paediatrician at the Mercantile Hospital and he was admitted immediately. "It was hell to stand next to his bed and see the pain and suffering. His temperature rose all the time and we advised him to keep his eyes closed to help with the terrible headache", Thana said.

The hospital called his parents on Thursday morning because of his deteriorating condition and when they arrived, he was in a coma and linked to a ventilator.

The nursing sister told his parents that she couldn't believe how quickly his condition had worsened. She still fed and bathed him and 20 minutes later he had foam around his mouth and couldn't breathe properly.

Funnily enough his bone marrow fluids didn't show signs of the meningitis virus, but his brain was very swollen. "The doctor declared him brain dead, but gave him intravenous medication against the disease."

"We prayed the entire day. His head was ice cold, but his body still warm. On Friday morning his head and body were cold and his heart just beat very faintly."

The doctors decided to keep him alive a few more hours in the hope that the antibiotics would have an effect, but it didn't help and Hyemie died on Saturday afternoon.

- Die Burger