Francis Kpulun Jr on Tuesday returned from Kenya after a successful hydrocephalus surgery at Gertrud Children’s Hospital in Nairobi that rendered a 7 centimeter reduction on his head.
On their arrival at the Freetown International Airport Francis’ mother, Emelia Bassar, explained that, “he is responding to treatment. Before the surgery Francis’ head was 81 centimeters, after the surgery his head is now 74 centimeters”.
Emelia said doctors informed her that Francis’ head would reduce gradually and not automatically as expected, adding that “if the reduction happens automatically his head would collapse and Francis would die.”
She narrated further that, “initially, when the Kenyan doctor fixed the tube on his head it was not working properly.”
After a week of medical observation, she explained, “Dr Olunia re-fixed the tube.”
Emelia stated that after the surgery Dr Olunia went to South Africa to perform operation on a related surgery.
She said, “when Dr Olunia left for South Africa, the tube got clogged,” but however she said she had been informed by the doctors that whenever Francis experienced such clogging, “I must massage his head and stomach where the operation was done,” Emelia explained.
Emelia said she was being informed that the reason for the clogging was as a result of clots that had flowed through the tube from the head to his stomach.
The doctors explained that the head would not reduce to its normal size because Francis had grown older when the operation was performed. She also disclosed that the pressure on Francis’ head affected his eyes and he was not seeing too well before he left for the surgery in Kenya, but “he is now seeing and moving about after the operation,” she added.