Baby Chad needs your help
Brad and Tracey Classens, who began a GoGetFunding page to help with baby Chad's medical costs said they have been blown away by the support from the north Durban community.
A DURBAN North family have put out an emotional appeal for help with their son, Chad Classens, who was born with a rare condition called Apert Syndrome. The syndrome is a genetic disorder characterised by the premature fusion of certain skull bones (craniosynostosis). This early fusion prevents the skull from growing normally and affects the shape of the head and face. The condition can also affect the fingers and toes which are often fused together (syndactyly).
Brad and Tracey Classens, who began a GoGetFunding page to help with baby Chad’s medical costs said they have been blown away by the support from the north Durban community. Since they began the page, they’ve raised almost R50 000.
The local couple say they have drawn strength from all the messages of support for Chad and the generous donations.
You may also be interested in: Patient left with needle in the arm following kidney stone treatment
Speaking to Northglen News last week, the couple opened up about their son’s struggles.
“At 37 weeks I had an emergency C-section and we soon realised he had a very rare condition. His fingers and toes were fused, as well as an early skull fusion, small nasal passages, wider set eyes, and a shallow eye socket, two holes in the heart and this left us devastated. We have no family history on either side to suggest this as a possibility and soon were informed it is a spontaneous genetic error that can just occur- the news was nothing less of traumatic. Chad spent the first 40 days in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with feeding tubes and oxygen. Since he has been home he has shown his strength and determination and we now face the overwhelming task of offering our son the best chance to have a normal life,” Tracey said.
Chad faces multiple surgeries to correct his skull and hands over the first two years of life and will need occupational therapy and speech therapy as well as constant ophthalmology assessments to assist with his eyesight.
Tracey and Brad who refer to Chad as their ‘miracle baby’ say there are already positive signs as both holes in the infant’s heart have begun to close on their own.
Read also: R934m to be spent on university capacity development
At the end of the month, the couple will be travelling to Johannesburg to see a craniofacial surgeon.
“The North Durban community and people all over the world who have been following our journey have been incredible. We’ve been so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. Since Chad’s birth we’ve come to realise this is a task greater than what we can handle alone. The medical bills have already started to overwhelm us even with medical aid and gap cover, that will only go so far. Any prayers and donations which can be spared will help baby Chad immensely with the long road he is facing ahead and would be such an enormous help for us,” Brad said.
Crisis Medical has offered free pre-hospital emergency medical care and transport for baby Chad and has challenged other corporates to get involved and assist Chad and others in need.
Garrith and Jodi Jamieson of Rescue Care have sponsored the couple and Chad return flight tickets from Joburg to Durban, including full car hire for the duration of the stay of the trip.
For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us Instagram
