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A 30-year-old man from Krugersdorp on Gauteng’s West Rand is still in a coma after a freak accident two months ago.
André van Huyssteen, a sales consultant, and his wife, Ilse, were visiting friends in Pretoria on August 9.
The group of friends had been relaxing in a Jacuzzi when the hot-water system exploded. A piece of wood propelled by the explosion hit André in the head.
"The impact broke his skull and tore his cerebral membrane [the membrane protecting the brain]," André’s father, Bennie, told YOU.
André's been in a medically induced coma, ever since, in the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria. He’s undergone four surgeries so far.
Bennie is optimistic about a fifth operation planned for Friday which should drain some of the fluid from his son’s brain. André's brain is still swollen, which is why he’s being kept in a coma.
"Doctors want to implant a tube to drain the fluid. It’s good news and we’re holding thumbs," he says.
He hopes André will soon be brought out of the coma. "The doctors say if they can manage to remove the fluid, they’ll be able to wake him. The fluid is keeping him in the coma."
André and Ilse have two young sons, one nine years old and the other three.
"Ilse’s struggling, but we’re all strong. We try to visit him every second evening. Krugersdorp is quite a long way from Pretoria, so it’s hard to go every day," Bennie says.
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