A young Brakpan girl who fought for her life in intensive care after a tragic road accident is defying expectations in her recovery.
Not only is Nina Kruger (12) walking unaided, but she is also pursuing her passion for fishing and making the most of life after a head injury.
Nina was just 10 at the time of the accident that also claimed the life of her beloved father, Frans Kruger, in March 2023.
Her injuries were life-threatening, and she was airlifted by Netcare 911’s helicopter emergency medical service to the level 1 trauma centre at Netcare Alberton Hospital where she was first attended to in the emergency department by renowned surgeon and trauma director Prof Frank Plani and Dr Katheryn Monteith.
Nina remained in paediatric intensive care for over two months with a multidisciplinary team and required extensive surgeries painstakingly carried out by an army of specialists.
“We did not know from one hour to the next whether she would make it,” said Nina’s mother, Loretta Kruger.
Nina sustained a significant brain injury as well as facial fractures, and both her wrists were broken. She also had a fractured femur that protruded from her leg, and her pelvis was cracked.
Loretta and her best friend Mizaan Goosen spent many anxious weeks at Nina’s bedside as she fought for her life on a ventilator.
“We were told to prepare for the worst, but Nina’s feisty spirit wouldn’t give up. In those times, we hardly dared let ourselves imagine that Nina would be talking and smiling again today,” Loretta said.
Finally, Nina was able to breathe on her own and when she was ready to move from the paediatric ICU, arrangements were made to transfer her from Netcare Alberton Hospital to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive, multidisciplinary therapy, where she would make deep and lasting friendships.
Dr Anrie Carstens, a general practitioner with a special interest in physical and rehabilitation medicine practising at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, recalls that when Nina arrived in May, she was awake and smiling and although she had regained her speech, she was not interacting much.
“At first, Nina was a little shy and could not walk as her fractured leg was still healing, and her body had global weakness after the protracted time she spent in the ICU, where she could barely move. Our initial assessment also identified that she had regressed and needed to relearn certain basic tasks,” she said.
Nina’s occupational therapy included an assessment of the vision aspects of her injury, leading to a referral to a neuro optometrist for further specialised care.
“When Nina first arrived at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, she couldn’t do anything for herself, and my nerves were finished at that point,” said Loretta.
“I was very worried about how Nina would react to moving to a different facility. Our hearts were quickly set at ease. Nina made good friends with the nurses, in particular paediatric nurse Namile Ndlhangamandla and other children in the ward.
“They made it a warm, safe family environment where children can thrive. We could see the difference the rehab therapies were making to Nina’s functioning each day, and I don’t know how many times she wouldn’t let me go until Namile arrived.”
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Charne Cox, a physiotherapist at Rita Henn and Partners said that Loretta, Mizaan and Nina’s family and friends – including the Crusaders Motorcycle Club – were incredibly supportive throughout.
“Nina’s mom’s goal was that she just wanted her child to have the best time possible while she was with us at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital. The family becomes part of the multidisciplinary team, and we become almost like an extended family focused on supporting the child holistically,” Cox said.
“When she first came to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, her Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score was just 27, but by the time she left us, she had drastically improved to a score of 89 and was ready for outpatient therapy.
“She really started to thrive when we incorporated activities she enjoyed before her accident. She loves fishing, and so we started getting her to ‘fish’ with a magnet for laminated cut-out pictures of fish to help develop hand-eye coordination.”
Aquatherapy, gym and play therapy proved to be favourites with Nina, who also progressed beautifully with a speech therapist, as voicing and eating are both cognitive functions that were affected by Nina’s brain injury. The multidisciplinary team also included support from a psychologist and dietician.
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“Rehab for children requires us to get creative and make the therapies fun for them. It is so rewarding working with children because they have so much neuroplasticity that they progress beautifully and Nina has really exceeded our expectations,” said Cox.
Recently, Nina, Loretta and Mizaan visited Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital’s caring team. It was a touching reunion as Nina and Namile embraced, with tears of joy from the nurse when she saw how her former patient had improved since leaving the rehabilitation hospital.
Nina and Namile have remained “as close as finger and nail” and have remained in regular contact since her discharge.
“To see Nina walking by herself now makes me so happy. When she left, she was still using the wheelchair, and she was such a good patient, although sometimes she was cheeky if she didn’t want to do her therapy,” said Namile, with Nina holding her hand tightly.
Carstens remarked that she had recently bumped into Nina and Loretta at a hockey match.
“It was a great surprise to see the girl who was once on a ventilator and could barely sit up when we first met her, blending in with the crowd and actually walking unaided across a whole hockey field,” she said.
“It brings home what we work so hard for and what can be achieved with the multidisciplinary approach spanning practitioners at Netcare Alberton Hospital and Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital. Often, we don’t see patients again after they are discharged, but it is so heart-warming to see the strides Nina has made.”
Loretta could not be more grateful to the many doctors, therapists and nurses who worked night and day to get Nina where she is today, including the amazing Netcare 911 team and the personal touches of care they showed Nina.
“The paediatric ICU doctors and nurses were fantastic, and Netcare Alberton Hospital even let us ‘set up camp’ for my other daughters in a family room, which meant the world to us when Nina was fighting for her life,” she said.
“Mizaan has been my rock, the epitome of true friendship, and she could not have done more to support Nina, my other daughters, and me through all of this. A huge thank you also to everyone who has cared and assisted in so many ways, and particularly the Crusaders MC biking community who even provided a guard of honour with a procession of big motorbikes when we brought her home from the hospital at last.”
The family thanked the specialists and all members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team who took care of Nina, including paediatric nephrologist Dr Sanushka Naidoo, paediatric pulmonologist Dr Ashley Jeevarathnum, paediatricians Dr Linda Doedens, and Dr Carla Bason paediatrician cardiologist and critical care specialist Dr Dave Kloeck, as well as paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dina Simmons, neurosurgeons Dr Wiebo van der Meulen and Dr Denis Mutyaba, maxillofacial and oral surgeon Dr Heidi Liversage, ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr Tim Capon, paediatric surgeon Dr Charles Carapinha and plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Saadia Laher.
Today, Nina attends a neurodiverse school, and she holds provincial colours in disabled angling with Mizaan, who assists as her teammate. They also participated in the national fishing competition earlier this year and qualified for the 2025 nationals.
“I am so proud of my daughter, and in sharing her story, perhaps we can offer some hope to other parents who may be thrown into a situation like this. Byt vas and you will get through. It may seem impossible and frightening, but there are excellent, caring health professionals who are absolutely dedicated to your child,” said Loretta.
