Paintballs fly for baby Caylum
He is at risk of brain damage everyday.
Little Caylum Willemse is not quite a year old and has already been resuscitated more than 10 times. It is a miracle he has not suffered any brain damage, as he’s at risk every day of his life.
Caylum was born on 12 January this year and was diagnosed with a tracheoesophageal fistula (TOF) which is an abnormal connection (fistula) between the esophagus and the trachea, and with oesophageal atresia (OA) which is a congenital defect. This means the defect occurs before birth and there are several types. In most cases, the upper esophagus ends and does not connect with the lower esophagus and stomach. Later on, he was also diagnosed with tracheobronchomalacia, a rare condition in which the tracheal cartilage is soft instead of firm.
He had his first surgery only two days after his birth. He has also gone for an aortopexy, a surgical procedure in which the aortic arch is fixed to the sternum. It results in the trachea being pulled open, and is used to treat severe tracheomalacia or tracheal compression. Caylum’s left bronchus (the tube leading from his trachea into his lung) is also 70 per cent collapsed. And still, despite all the surgical interventions, Caylum sometimes just stops breathing.
Caylum has spent most of his short life in hospital, and has been in ICU since 9 May. His current preventative treatment is sadly not enough to give him a chance at a normal life.
This is where the Brothers in Arms paintball team comes in – every year, they choose one fundraising project to raise funds for a person or charity in need. They recently arranged a fundraiser event at DNA Paintball in Noordheuwel to help baby Caylum’s parents with his medical bills. The day was full of fun and games and concluded with an auction of t-shirts signed by well-known EFC fighters and wrestlers. They raised enough money to help the lives of baby Caylum and his parents a little easier.
“We would like to make our team and our projects bigger and better each year and create more awareness about our sport,” said team captain, Louis Geel.
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