Ho�rskool Krugersdorp pupil Thomas Ferreira. Picture. Facebook
The Ferreira family usually celebrate Christmas on their farm in Mookgophong, Limpopo, but this year was different. It was spent alongside their son’s hospital bed watching him fight a life-threatening infection.
Thomas is doing better now, according to his father Paul.
“He is stable and his high temperature has gone,” Ferreira said.
“He will be going back to Riverfield on Wednesday.”
Thomas was left with brain damage seven weeks ago after a collision with a blue-light vehicle transporting Gauteng Housing MEC Humphrey Mmemezi.
Last week Thomas was re-admitted to the Krugersdorp Hospital, suffering from a high fever that his father said was caused by an infection brought on by the feeding tube that had been inserted into his stomach.
Thomas had left the hospital a week earlier to begin his three-month-long rehabilitation at Life Riverfield Lodge. His family had spent the whole of Christmas Day at the hospital and were back yesterday.
“The biggest gift for us is that our son is getting better,” said Ferreira.
Ferreira said his 18-year-old son had shown remarkable improvement since the accident. “He is awake and doing a lot of things. He can now take a ball and put it to his face.”
Usually over Christmas Thomas spends his days on the family farm, where he rock-climbs, quadbikes and rides horses.
“It is not a big farm but he is very fond of it,” said his father.
Seven weeks ago, Thomas was on his way to his girlfriend’s house in Randfontein when a BMW X5, Mmemezi’s official vehicle crashed into Thomas’s motorbike.
The car, apparently with its blue lights on, allegedly sped through a red traffic light.
The accident left Thomas in a coma, with a fractured arm and leg. He also had swelling and haemorrhaging of the brain.
Ferreira said Thomas’s medical bills had reached the R500 000 mark. Next week he would try to find out how much of the amount would be paid by their medical aid.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane had promised that the teenager’s medical bills would be paid by the provincial government, but Thomas’s parents are yet to meet with provincial officials.
“We have heard through the press that they want to met with us in the new year,” said Ferreira. -The Star
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Blue-light victim recovering