A FUN day at the beach eight months ago changed Tylor Pillay’s life forever, when he suffered a broken spine after being hit by a freak wave.
Tylor, 17, from Unit 4 in Phoenix, is now a quadriplegic and requires 24-hour care.
But despite his injury, Tylor remains optimistic and believes “God will help me heal so I can walk again”.
His father, Reggie Pillay, said the last eight months had been a “tough” journey for their family.
Reggie said their family had gone to the beach on December 15, just five days after Tylor had turned 17.
“Tylor was in the water with his younger twin brothers and sister. They were swimming in the designated area under the watch of the life guards. Tylor is a good swimmer and I was watching them from the shore. I noticed a wave which looked a bit rough.
“Suddenly Tylor was hit by the first wave and fell. But as he was getting up he was hit by a second and then a third wave. My wife, Romona, and I saw that he was not getting up. He was just lying face-down in the water,” said Reggie.
He said they ran to their son with the lifeguards.
“Between the water and the shore there was an incline. We had to drag him out of the water. It was difficult because we were battling against the rough waves to try and get him onto the sand. I could see from his facial expression that he was in pain and he told me his neck was really sore and he could not move his body.
“I had assumed that his body had gone into shock. However, a lifeguard who was in a canoe and witnessed what had happened, said Tylor could have hurt his back. When we got him to shore we placed him on a stretcher and called the paramedics. When they arrived they stabilised him and they too said his spine needed to be examined.”
Reggie said Tylor was taken to a private hospital in oThongathi (Tongaat).
“He needed a CT and MRI scan. We had cancelled our medical aid in November and we planned on joining a new one in January. So, we did the CT scan and had to pay cash. We could not admit him because the hospital required a R190 000 upfront fee.”
Reggie said the doctor on call made an arrangement for Tylor to go to a public hospital in KwaMashu.
“We were transported by private ambulance and had to pay an additional R5 000 to the ambulance service. He spent a week at the hospital before being transported to King George for a MRI scan, only for us to find out later that day they did not do this scan at the hospital and there had been a miscommunication between the doctors.”
Reggie said he and his wife could not stand to see Tylor in pain and they
contacted a broker who helped them get back onto medical aid.
“Within a day the medical aid was sorted out and Tylor was transferred to Umhlanga Hospital for tests. Doctors there found that his C6 vertebra had been shattered and a bone had been hitting against his jugular vein.”
He said this was immobilising Tylor and only allowed him to move his head and speak.
“Tylor went into surgery to have a plate placed onto his C6 vertebra to help repair the damage. After four weeks, he was discharged from hospital due to good progress.”
Reggie said Tylor went through intensive rehabilitation at Nurture iLembe Rehabilitation Centre and regained some movement in his arms.
But while Tylor’s condition was improving, Reggie said he had contracted a bladder infection and had a stool blockage which required him to undergo surgery.
“He now has a permanent catheter and a stoma bag.”
Reggie said as part of Tylor’s care he had to be turned over every two hours so he did not get bed sores.
“A few weeks ago, while turning him, he suffered a tear near his sacral area and it was not healing properly. He was taken to hospital for wound care and antibiotics but it did not work. A few days ago, he was taken into theatre for a wound debridement, where a part of the dead tissue was removed.
“During the procedure his doctor found pus near the tear. A vacuum was placed around the wound to keep it clean. We are currently still in hospital as he is also undergoing treatment for his muscle and tissue growth.”
Reggie said their lives had changed in a split second.
“His mum works and I am his fulltime caregiver. I set an alarm at night so I can wake up every two hours to turn him. I give him a bath, clothe him and feed him. Now that he is in hospital I am with him from the morning until night.
“It is so difficult to see him like this. He was a regular teenager, spending time with his friends, and now his life has drastically changed. But we have left everything in God’s hands. The doctors cannot believe he survived the accident.”
Reggie said his biggest challenge was that his medical aid was not covering everything that Tylor needed.
“We needed a motorised wheelchair, a sliding board and equipment for home and the medical aid had only allocated R3 000 for this. BackaBuddy as well as family and friends helped raise money.”
Reggie said they needed help with a care-giver, costs of home physiotherapy and a manual wheelchair
Tylor said: “I am thankful for all the help that I received so far and I believe that God will help me heal so I can walk again.”