Safe haven for 'Baby Cyril'

ST LAURENCE: WARM PLACE WHERE NEGLECTED, ABANDONED KIDS LIKE HIM ARE GIVEN LOVE

- Jabulile Mbatha

»Foster parents give children a new lease on life.

'Baby Cyril's" face lights up when he sees his "father", foster parent Richard Malan. Cyril is three years old but physically behind that age, because malnutrition and abuse at the hands of his biological father for the first four months of his life did deep damage.

Malan is hopeful he will be able to teach Cyril to one day say: "Hello dad..." Malan and his wife Tilly are volunteers at the St Laurence Children's Haven in Roodepoort and they willingly took on Cyril named so because of his resemblance to President Cyril Ramaphosa when he came to the home.

For his current age he is underdeveloped as a result of suffering from malnutrition while in the care of his biological parents.

Said Richard: "The police brought him to us; they had found him in the street. Apparently the father dropped him a couple of times, the kid fell on his head, that's when the people phoned the police and subsequent to that he suffered some neurology damage to his brain which is irreversible".

Cyril was diagnosed with encephalitis and septicemia, and is said to have low white blood cells according to Malan.

Encephalitis is a rare but serious condition that causes inflammation of the brain's active tissues, which can lead to swelling and impair brain function.

Septicemia is also known as blood poisoning. It is a life-threatening infection that occurs when germs or fungi enter the bloodstream and spread.

Malan said the mother was a drug addict and also did drugs while she was pregnant with him.

"She died last year".

Playing with Malan who taught him to try to say "hello dad", the love between Cyril and Malan is undeniable as his face lights up when they play together.