Page 21 - Waterfall City MayJune Issue 2026

With Hannah-Grace medically stable Given the trauma of the accident the tools used in her therapy.
at last, she was ready for the intensive and the loss of her father,
therapies that would aid her recovery psychological support and play “Hannah Grace’s mom was a true
at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital. therapy were provided as part of the champion, supporting her daughter
multidisciplinary care Hannah-Grace every step of the way and helping
Dr Anrie Carstens, a general received at the hospital. to keep her attention focused on
practitioner with a special interest in the therapy while also maintaining
physical and rehabilitation medicine, Physiotherapist Charne Cox helped the boundaries of parenthood that
said that when Hannah-Grace arrived, Hannah-Grace develop her balance, can often be hard to maintain when
the most prominent feature of her coordination and mobility during a child has suffered a brain injury.
injury was pronounced weakness on her rehabilitation admission. “At first She also asked the right questions to
the left side of her body, in keeping she couldn’t crawl or walk, but she prepare for Hannah-Grace’s return to
with a stroke in the basal ganglia of tried so hard from the beginning the home environment,” Cox says.
the brain. that we could see she was going to
do well. Every week, we realised she Dr Carstens says that after just three
“Hannah-Grace’s brain had to relearn was making such rapid progress that weeks at Netcare Rehabilitation
how to recognise the left side of she would not stay as long as we Hospital, Hannah-Grace’s functional
her body so she could learn to expected,” Cox says. testing score rose dramatically. “She
walk again. When she came in, her arrived with a score of 35 – far below
expressive and receptive language Making therapy fun and engaging the average of 91 for her age – but
skills were also delayed. Her initial is crucial for capturing children’s improved to 85. With additional fine-
assessment anticipated she would attention, and activities such as tuning and continued outpatient
need eight weeks of intensive baking, making necklaces and therapy, we fully expect Hannah-
therapy at Netcare Rehabilitation movement games on a big screen TV Grace to continue improving, just as
Hospital, but she was so eager to get featuring Hannah-Grace’s favourite she thrived during her time with us.”
going with her therapy sessions and cartoon characters were just some of
progressed so quickly that we were Megan says that Hannah-Grace is
amazed when she needed less than making great strides – literally. Her
half this time.” walking is almost back to normal,
she’s talking in both English and
According to Dr Carstens, brain Dr Monyake is pictured with Hannah- Afrikaans, and she’s spending time
injuries in children often have a Grace and her mother, Megan. with Buddy, the Yorkshire terrier she
greater potential to heal and regain and her late husband bought for their
lost functionality, provided there is daughter for Christmas just before
prompt and appropriate emergency the accident.
care, as well as the required
specialised care after the injury, “She is doing so well, and she is so
followed by neurologically informed eager to play and run around that
intensive multidisciplinary therapy. I have my hands full trying to keep
her from being a little gymnast. The
“The neuroplasticity of children’s doctors advised that another bump
brains means they often have the to the head could be serious for
most to gain from rehabilitative Hannah-Grace, so I have to remind
therapies as soon as possible after her to be careful when she is playing.
injury. In Hannah-Grace’s case,
although she was withdrawn at first, “It was God’s grace that restored
she grew in confidence and showed her to us, and now I fully realise the
progress in important functional significance of why we named her
areas – engaging in symbolic play, Hannah-Grace. Every nurse, every
initiating activities and improving doctor and therapist, every person
her social skills. Most poignantly, she who had a role in the miracle of
showed tender attentiveness and her recovery and showed us such
empathy for one of the children she care and kept us in your prayers
befriended in the ward,” Dr Carstens throughout, we are so grateful for
says. each one of you,” Megan concludes.

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