Meet Kevin

Two-and-a-half-year-old Kevin and his parents, Owen and Portia, sit in the waiting room at the Orthopaedic Clinic at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

The clinic has just started, but they’ve been waiting a while already. Kevin is getting hungry. It’s his lunchtime now, and Mom has come prepared. He asks for a banana, and she produces the fruit from her bag. Dad, Owen, holds his son on his lap. This is quite a strenuous exercise because Kevin’s body is in a hip spica cast.

A spica (body) cast extends from the belly and/or chest down around the back and pelvis to varying degrees down either one leg or both. Spica casts help keep the thighbone(femur) and pelvis still so that the bones may heal in place. A month earlier, Kevin was running outside his home while playing with his older sister; he had a bad fall where his leg twisted and landed on his thigh.

The moment she heard her son’s cry, Portia knew instantly that this was serious. She acted fast. First, they went to the nearest local clinic. They were referred to the Children’s Hospital.

After x-rays and a thorough examination at the Emergency Centre, the medical team discussed the best treatment options with the parents. Knowing that surgery would not be the best option, Portia consented to the spica casting.

It’s been a month of carrying Kevin and taking care of him in the cast. It has been rather tricky dealing with nappy changes and upset tummies. Portia remarks that she had to use bigger nappies and that the first few days were challenging because the medications affected his bowel movements.

“It was not easy to change his nappies like that,” she recalls.

Portia was also concerned about Kevin’s skin in the cast and how itchy he might be.

“He’s been quite a brave boy,” she says proudly, smiling at Kevin, who listens intently to the conversation while he munches his fruit.

It’s been an exhausting month.

Portia works at a preschool and was worried that she might be unable to take leave to be with her son. Kevin would need to be carried everywhere, helped with everything, and maybe just as impatient to get out of the cast. Portia, like every mother, wanted to be there to help and protect her child.

Her employer’s compassion and generosity were a welcomed blessing and the perfect miracle to help Kevin heal.

With all the help and support this young family has experienced at the Children’s Hospital, it soon becomes clear that generous, kind and compassionate people, like Portia’s employer, make up a world in which hospitals like Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital can exist to serve the many beautiful little blessings who come through its doors and help them heal.

Portia smiles at her young son. The cast may be removed today. Despite being in a cramped waiting area, the little patients and their caregivers still smile.

Help create an improved healing space for little Orthopaedic patients by donating towards the building of a new Orthopaedic Unit at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. 100 % of your giving will go towards the project.