A young girl who fought for her life in intensive care after a tragic road accident is defying expectations in her recovery.
Not only is she walking unaided, but Nina Kruger is also pursuing her passion for fishing and making the most of life after a head injury.
Nina was just 10 at the time of the accident that also claimed the life of her beloved father, Frans Kruger, in March 2023.
Her injuries were life-threatening and she was airlifted by Netcare 911's helicopter emergency medical service to the level 1 trauma centre at Netcare Alberton Hospital, where she was first attended to by renowned surgeon and trauma director Prof Frank Plani and Dr Katheryn Monteith.
Nina remained in the paediatric intensive care for over two months with a multidisciplinary team and required extensive surgeries painstakingly carried out by an army of specialists.
"We did not know from one hour to the next whether she would make it," recalls her mother, Loretta Kruger.
Nina sustained significant brain injury and facial fractures, and both her wrists were broken.
She also had a fractured femur that protruded from her leg and her pelvis was cracked.
Loretta and Nina's best friend Mizaan spent many anxious weeks at Nina's bedside as she fought for her life on a ventilator.
"We were told to prepare for the worst, but Nina's feisty spirit wouldn't give up," Loretta says.
Bu hikaye The Citizen dergisinin August 08, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Citizen dergisinin August 08, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Why buying vacant land in an estate is a good investment
Investing in a coastal estate is beneficial for everyone from first-time buyers to families and retirees, but the big debate is often between buying a home or buying land and building oneself.
A rising star in clean living
Soweto-based entrepreneur and author of the book #I am a housekeeper, Mbali Nhlapo, widely known as the founder of Sisters @ Work and a viral TikTok sensation, has become a household name in South African homes.
Notre Dame gets love
Americans open their hearts and wallets
Heart-stopping vistas of Cape Town
Table Mountain is the lodestar
K-culture doing OK in Sunshine Land
Fans flock to sites associated with boy band
Hello? Calling my owner?
Lost, but nearly always found-even your pet
Proteas tighten grip
DOMINANT: STUBBS, BAVUMA TONS BAT SRI LANKA RIGHT OUT OF THE GAME
Sirino looks ready to go
Gaston Sirino (above) could return for Kaizer Chiefs in their Betway Premiership clash with Royal AM today at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Inexperience becoming a tired excuse
There will always be reasons that teams are defeated, but there is one particular excuse that has become too easy for our national cricket teams to lean on when they lose.
Cricket-mad Vaibhav's dream becomes reality
Dreams have come early for cricket-mad Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the shy schoolboy aged 13 who is the youngest player in Indian Premier League history.