I was recently invited to participate in a colleague's photo-shoot with an amazing family and a tiny miracle. In this first picture you see three generations of the men in that family a small cross section of the whole. You will see why I say three men later in the article.
In a soft, sweet moment of truth where all the woes of the world melted away into nothingness. The father, injured years before in a work's inferno, looks on proudly as grandfather and grandson "give each other five"
Don't let the serenity and joy of the moment deceive you though.
The truth is heartbreaking. This little man is far from serene in his daily life. Barely a week later I bumped into him and his parents at the hospital while I was visiting a sick relative. It became apparent that the shoot day had been a good day, a rare blessing in a chaotic existence for this little miracle.
This little man was born on the 15th of April 2021 to proud and loving parents. His entry into this world was far from smooth as low amniotic fluid necessitated an emergency C-section. His father Daryll Engelbrecht was ecstatic and performed the perfunctory parental test "ten fingers, ten toes" as all doting fathers do. There is a saying that "All's well that end's well." and after his birth ordeal his parent's could breathe a sigh of relief at his first sounds.
Their triumph was short lived. Sadly, the unseen truth behind this little miracle, Rainhardt, is that he was born with bilateral multi-cystic dysplastic kidneys. Most fetuses with this condition don't even make it full term. At his birth he was unable to void urine from his body - his parents had to carry out intermittent catheter drain every 3 hours.
If that was not enough for his little body to endure, he was also plagued with an inguinal hernia - otherwise known as a groin hernia - where, most commonly, a part of your intestine pokes through your into your groin area.
In a hushed conversation at the shoot his father imparted the extent of the miracle that is little Rainhardt.
"He wasn't expected to survive longer that 2 weeks."
Two years later little Rainhardt battles on. Battles that would crush the strongest among us. Weekly dialysis, Weekly blood tests, frequent bladder infections, and because of all this, frequent hospitalization due to a weakened immune system, which gives rise to all manner of opportunistic infections.
He was condemned to death by the medical profession in his first weeks of life. His only hope being if by some miracle he could grow to the eligibility weight of 10 Kgs for dialysis and an eventual kidney transplant.
The initial story written in June of 2021 by Kerry Bird https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/news-headlines/2021/06/15/baby-rainhardt-needs-your-help/ sparked a sensation but as with all sensations the excitement slowly dissipated to the point where even I had no recollection of it.
In the original story there are photos of a little baby as perfect as any parent could hope for but appearances are deceptive. I couldn't , in good conscience, allow the plight of Rainhardt to remain a dusty relic while his family struggles on behind radiant and genuine smiles.
In moments between moments you are able to see glimpses of heartache, as the obvious stress of impending doom hovers over the family. However, the indomitable positivity of this mutually supportive family quickly snuffs out any chance of lingering despair.
They are a true testament to the adage that nothing can resist the man (or woman) who will stake even their own existence on the attainment of their goals. Against the constant threat of losing their precious little prince they have been conquerors.
So to justify my statement of three men, if you haven't already guessed... Little Rainhardt has endured, in his little life, what most of us could not. He is a warrior worthy of respect that few of us will ever attain, much less deserve. My unspoken wish is that this family will soon have their true "All's well that ends well" moment that they so desperately deserve.
Strong family embracing imperfections, realizing through love that we're still whole people, perfect or not.
Young face tells all within a smile.
Awesome words.
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