01/12/2022
Miracles still happen ❤️
A second chance for JJ
Rustenburg – JJ Theron (29) is married to a wonderful woman, has a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, and a baby boy on the way. However, his life got drastically rearranged after Saturday 24 September 2022 when he started to have flu-like symptoms.
Over the weekend of the 24th of September, JJ’s symptoms started with a mild cough and a general feeling of being unwell. Two days later he found himself in hospital.
Four days after his initial symptoms, JJ’s lung muscles started to turn white, and he struggled to breathe.
Doctors, who couldn’t diagnose his symptoms, intubated JJ and put him on a ventilator. Unfortunately, the treatment was unsuccessful, which meant that JJ had to be connected to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine to give his lungs and his heart a chance to rest and recover.
Following the second treatment procedure, a complication with the ECMO machine arose and JJ got an infection in his left leg. As a result, the main artery in his leg burst and the only option was to amputate JJ’s left leg.
Although the medical aid has covered most of the hospital costs, there are still many lifestyle challenges ahead. “Everything at this stage is a challenge. I must get used to the fact that I lost my leg.
I depend on a wheelchair and a walking frame, and my family must help me to move around,” said JJ in an interview with Platinum Weekly.
However, JJ is grateful that he is still alive and has been discharged. “I am positive about the future,” said JJ, “But I know that there are still many struggles and adjustments ahead.”
JJ’s house is currently not set up for a wheelchair, which means that many changes will have to be made to make things a bit easier for him. There is also a lot of uncertainty about whether he will be able to return to work or not. At this stage, there is also no certainty on whether his medical aid will cover the costs of a prosthetic leg.
If you can help ease the financial pressure on the family, or if you want more information about how you can contribute, contact JJ’s wife, Ashley Theron at 066 221 2200.
Photo: JJ Theron before difficulty struck.
