Good Morning Angels: Special medical helmet for five-month-old Caylem

BACKGROUND: Baby Caylem is the sun and the moon to his parents, Tanita and Corné van Brakel from Randfontein. They met 12 years ago and when it was time to start a family, Tanita couldn’t fall pregnant. For five years, they struggled to fulfil their dream of having a baby but earlier this year, their beautiful baby boy was born. There was untold joy over baby Caylem, but then they noticed something was wrong.

Tanita was told that Caylem had craniosynostosis, which means the bony plates in his skull are abnormally fused together. As the brain grows in a child with craniosynostosis, the shape of the head becomes abnormal as the brain pushes out on the other parts of the skull. In some cases, the brain growth may be affected. This can be treated with a special Cranial Remoulding helmet, that Caylem will wear for three months.

However, the helmet costs R28,000 and therapy is added to that. This is a cost the family did not plan for. Tanita lost her job three months after falling pregnant and with the lockdown and new motherhood, she has not been able to find another job. They managed to borrow R15,000 to pay a deposit, to enable Caylem to start his treatment with the helmet, but they have no idea how they will repay this or come up with the rest. 

REQUEST FOR: Baby Caylem James van Brakel 

REQUEST FROM: Mom Tanita van Brakel  

ANGEL: Bonnie Cooper, MD of our Festive sponsors, Roman’s Pizza 

SPONSORING: Roman’s Pizza will assist Tanita and Corné with R35,000 to cover the costs of baby Caylem’s helmet and some of his follow-up sessions.

ORIGINAL REQUEST: 

Hello good morning angels, 

I am Caylem James van Brakel I am five months old and I live in Randfontein, I am in desperate need of your help, I have Cranial Remoulding Orthosis and am in need of a helmet. I will wear this foam helmet for 12 weeks where I will have to see the doctor every 2 weeks for an adjustment and every alternate week for a follow-up scan. The average time of treatment is 12 weeks, so 6 follow-up consultations, but it all depends on my progress. 

But I am getting ahead of myself, my story begin 12 years ago, when my mommy and daddy met each other, when the time was right to start a family they struggled for 5 years to conceive a baby, until my mommy found a  in Krugersdorp and in no less than 4 months my mommy was running up and down to the bathroom little did she know, it was a Friday morning when my mommy jumped on my daddy and showed him the pregnancy stick that I had come to life. 

Three short months after I was conceived, my mommy lost her job due to the economy, lucky my daddy still has his job, otherwise I would be wearing a paper bag as I am growing so fast. 

Then, after 9 months of making my mommy very sick, and my daddy running up and down to the shops with my cravings I was born in Krugersdorp. 

My mommy phoned the Medical aid but as I am only on a Hospital plan they cannot help me pay for my helmet. So I am asking you angels if you would be so kind to please open up your hearts for me, so that my skull can grow properly and I don't struggle further down the line. 

My helmet costs R28 000.00 were my mommy must pay a deposit of R15 000.00 before they can start on my helmet, and each doctor visit costs R913.00. It is very far to the doctors and all I do is sit in my car seat and talk to my mouse and bird, they never have much to say back to me. 

Oh and before I forget my mommy's name is Tanita and my daddy's name is Corné.

Kind regards angels,

Caylem