Juván is breathing against all odds

Friday 20 June was the first time the 15-month-old toddler from Wilderness, Juván Havenga, breathed on his own in nearly two weeks.

- Kristy Kolberg

"But he still struggles," said his mother, Adelizé, earlier this week after an emotional step forward in her baby boy's long medical journey.

"His little body is battling thick mucus that makes it hard to breathe. We have to suction it regularly."

Little Juván, who has been diagnosed with autoimmune enteropathy (AIE), a rare condition in which the immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine, has gone through intense trauma. During his metabolic acidosis and extreme fluid retention, his body swelled so much that even breathing became a fight. When they intubated him, his body couldn't handle the shock, and he went into cardiac arrest. The doctors managed to resuscitate him after 20 minutes.

"For a long time, the focus was that he must live. And now, by God's grace, he is living. Only now can we start wondering what damage there might be."