Good Morning Angels: Operation Healing Hands brings relief to young Henno

GOOD MORNING ANGELS 2 AUGUST 2017  (“HENNO”/OHH)

Operation Healing Hands takes three-year old Henno’s pain away 

At just three-years-old, young Henno's story is too heavy to bear. When he arrived at the ABBA Children’s home, Henno’s tonsils and ears were so infected, some thought he was autistic.

Imagine, having so much fluid in your ears that you cannot hear. The pressure and the pain would make grown-ups cry.   

And that wasn’t the only problem. His tonsils were enlarged and infected, for months. It was painful to swallow and therefore he didn’t eat much. He was feverish for weeks on end and didn’t play or interact much with his eight siblings.

His constant pain banished him to a life of isolation and that’s why the social workers thought he was autistic. It didn’t take Henno’s caregiver at ABBA Children’s Home long to realise that the new three-year old resident was simply not feeling well.

“Joan” took him to Dr. Johan, an ear-nose-and-throat specialist, who has assisted with treatment of children from the home before. Dr. Johan confirmed severe tonsillitis and a need for Grommets. 

Dr. Johan is part of Operation Healing Hands and he and his team, as well as the Life Groenkloof Hospital, offered their skills, time, and facilities for free to help Henno.

Little Henno had his operation two weeks ago. His pain is gone and he has started eating, playing, and communicating again.

YOU CAN HELP: To contribute to Operation Healing Hands, please email [email protected] or visit www.ohhsa.net.

BACKGROUND: Operation Healing Hands is the idea and passion of Pretoria-based orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Helene Basson. As a medical practitioner in the private sector, she has long tried to assist with patients in the state sector, where waiting lists are endless and preference of over-stretched resources has to go towards life-saving treatments before anything else. 

She put her passion to action on Mandela Day 2016, with her goal date to get as many of her colleges, friends, hospitals, and medical supply companies together to give of their time, skill, services, and products in the private medical sector, to help people who cannot afford private health care and have been waiting for years. She had no difficulty convincing others in her field to participate and the result was an NPO, supported by more than 20 medical practitioners, support skills and three hospitals: Life Eugene Marais, Life Groenkloof, and Zuid-Afrikaans. 

Last year, Operation Healing Hands performed life-saving and changing surgeries to 21 patients, young and old. This year, Operation Healing Hands is up and running to change more lives for good. They have the skills and facilities, but need financial contributions for consumables.