Unstoppable: Haaroon’s Story

Haaroon just celebrated his sixth birthday in the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Over the summer break, his family went to Agulhas for their annual camping trip. Everyone was having fun. Haaroon was riding his bicycle with his older brother and cousin when he accidentally went down a hill too quickly and couldn’t stop before plunging headlong into the main road, where he was hit by a tourist minibus.

The impact knocked Haaroon into the road. By the time it was able to stop, the bus had already driven over his leg, crushing it. He was immediately rushed from the scene to the nearest hospital in Bredasdorp where he was stabilised before being rushed to the RCWMCH for treatment.

A team of surgeons immediately got involved in Haaroon’s case, performing a CT scan to assess the extent of the damage, look for injuries in his other limbs that might have been caused by the impact, and to try to find a way to save his leg. When the results came back, the doctors decided that the damage to the blood vessels was too extensive to save the leg. The CT scans were essential for planning the surgery.

Four surgeries later, Haaroon has had his leg amputated above the knee but is in very good spirits. He’s most concerned about his birthday celebrations. “He had a cake and everyone sang to him, but he’s just looking forward to going home. He wants another big party.” His mom, Naseemah chuckles. “So we’ll do that for him.”

Haaroon is a determined young man and his parents are certain that he’ll get through this challenge. Naseemah says, “He’s very active. He loves to play rugby, play soccer never lets anything get him down. If he falls and gets hurt, he always jumps right back up. So he’s very resilient, very strong, and if he wants anything, he just goes and gets it.” He’s already tackling his physio sessions like a champion and only too happy to do anything that gets him one step closer to going home.

Both of his parents are grateful to have his life. His dad said, “We’re so grateful it’s only his leg. His body was so close to the wheels when they pulled him out from under the bus. We just want to get past this bit, and then he’ll be fine.”