Page 20 - Waterfall City MayJune Issue 2026

Waterfall City Health

Hannah-Grace, her mother and aunt recently visited Dr Palesa Monyake and the
multidisciplinary paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) team at Netcare Waterfall City Hospital.

“She was airlifted from Ermelo in a neurological effects remained
critical condition with severe head unclear. Scans revealed areas of
injuries, and when she arrived, Hannah-Grace bleeding in Hannah-Grace’s brain,
Hannah-Grace kept having seizures learnt to walk again which can indicate damage to
and could not even breathe on her areas of the brain responsible for
own.” with the support of movement, language and other
a multidisciplinary crucial functions.
“As a mother myself, I knew how team, including
difficult it must be for Mrs Hefer to “Her eyes were only staring to the
be separated from her injured child physiotherapist right, but we didn’t know if she
without knowing who was looking Charne Cox. could see or hear. She didn’t talk,
after her. The next morning, I visited and she didn’t show any signs that
her in the hospital to introduce she recognised me,” her mother
myself and promise her we would remembers.
take care of Hannah-Grace, just as if
she were our own child,” Dr Monyake Megan, her mother, sister, Dr Monyake
says. husband’s body. On the same day, and the PICU nurses prayed for
I received two blessings. Firstly, Hannah-Grace’s recovery. “As time
After several days, Hannah-Grace’s Hannah-Grace woke up for the first went on, she started speaking a
condition slowly began to improve time since the accident, and secondly, few words. One day, she said, ‘Ek is
under the diligent care of doctors and my sister safely delivered a healthy Hannah Grace,’ and she seemed to
paediatric intensive care unit nurses, baby. There were so many emotions, know herself for the first time. I cried
whom Megan describes as “angels but for me, it was the Lord’s way of out, ‘My baby is coming back’.”
doing God’s work”. supporting me through this terrible
time.” Dr Monyake describes Hannah-
“On 7 January, they extubated Grace’s mother as “a pillar of strength,”
Hannah-Grace and I had to leave At last, Hannah-Grace could breathe whose love, support, and faith at her
her in the hospital to identify my on her own, but the extent of the daughter’s bedside were invaluable.

18 Waterfall City May/June 2026