Johan Barnard said the death of his two young sons, just hours apart on the same day, has left him devastated, so much so that for the past five nights he has cried himself to sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a pain I never knew a person could feel,\u201d a weeping Barnard told IOL on Monday, speaking for the first time about the deaths of eight-year-old Dean and two-week-old LJ.<\/p>\n
Both boys, who were born with Shone\u2019s complex \u2014 a rare heart condition \u2014 were admitted to hospital last week with a lung infection.<\/p>\n
And though the 37-year-old stayed by their bedside in hospital and prayed over and over for them to pull through, his \u201cklein bulletjies\u201d died on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still needs to sink in,\u201d the distraught father, of Krugersdorp, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor all we know, this is what the Father wanted, because He gave them to us for a time, the biggest gift I could ever ask for, and now He has taken them back.<\/p>\n
\u201cLJ had just come into the world and had already crept into my heart and that of his mother, my wife Liesel, while Dean was a busy little boy who was always smiling from ear to ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those memories of Dean as a happy, lively child were also shared by teachers and classmates at Ebenaezer Primary School.<\/p>\n
They described him as a boy who was always smiling, always friendly, and full of energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a precious boy, friend and learner who will always be remembered for his kindness, beautiful smile and special spirit,\u201d the school said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeepest condolences go to his family, friends, teachers and all who had the privilege of knowing and loving him.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of his teachers, Chantel Labuschagne, said: \u201cHe was always friendly and had a smile on his face.<\/p>\n
“He was definitely a lively little boy who kept us on our toes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean’s mother, Jackie Duvenage, described him simply as \u201ca happy child\u201d who was always smiling, even through years of illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a happy child, always, always happy,\u201d she told IOL.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even know how else to explain it. He was just happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duvenage said Dean lived with a serious heart condition, and had spent long periods of his early life in hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a cardiac condition, a complex one,\u201d Duvenage said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom when he was very small, he was in and out of hospital. He was strong\u2026 very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Dean had mostly been raised by his grandmother, Magda, over the past few years, while she tried to keep up with his medical needs and appointments.<\/p>\n
Magda was too distraught too speak.<\/p>\n
Duvenage said despite his illness, Dean lived a full, active life and never let his condition define him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was very active. Very busy. Always on the move,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But above everything, she said, was his strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I will always remember about him\u2026 how strong he was,\u201d Duvenage said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the day he was born, through everything he went through, he never gave up. Never.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barnard said the family\u2019s nightmare began on Wednesday, when both boys fell ill and were taken to hospital after appearing \u201cyellow-ish\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said baby LJ was taken first to Paardekraal Hospital in Krugersdorp, after his mother, Liesel, rushed him in when his condition suddenly worsened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis oxygen levels had dropped and by the time we arrived, he had already lost brain function because he had gone without oxygen for too long,\u201d Barnard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctors called us in and explained that they did not think he was going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, Dean was taken to Leratong Hospital as his condition worsened at home.<\/p>\n
Barnard said both children were admitted and placed on treatment, but their conditions continued to deteriorate through the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cLJ was on oxygen support,” he said.<\/p>\n
“His oxygen levels had dropped significantly and his heart rate was very high.”<\/p>\n
The next morning, while Barnard was on his way to visit his baby son, he received the call that LJ had died.<\/p>\n
He said his world \u201ccaved in\u201d in that moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just broke… I cannot even explain that feeling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are on your way to your child, and then you hear he is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barnard said he burst into tears and struggled to understand what had just happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept thinking, no\u2026 this cannot be real,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said at the hospital, Liesel held the baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still in shock,\u201d he said. \u201cShe held him there\u2026 she held our baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then drove from Paardekraal to Leratong Hospital, holding onto the hope that he would be able to take Dean home later that night or the next morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent time there with him,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But hospital staff said things were not looking great and later that evening, at about 8pm, the machines went haywire and we were informed he had also died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barnard described Dean as a lively, loving child who was always smiling, always playing, and always full of energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a joker,” he said.<\/p>\n
“He loved making people laugh and we loved him dearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were two lovely little children. We were a very close family. They were very close to one another and very close to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean, he said, who would have turned nine in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a character on his own and both my boys were my ‘bulletjies’\u201d Barnard said.<\/p>\n
“I miss them and I am trying to hold it together.”<\/p>\n
Barnard also has a 10-year-old stepdaughter who does not live with him.<\/p>\n
Shone\u2019s complex is a rare congenital heart condition where several defects restrict blood flow on the left side of the heart, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively through the body. Because the heart and lungs work closely together, the reduced blood and oxygen flow can also leave children more vulnerable to complications, including serious respiratory illnesses such as lung infections.<\/p>\n
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