A brave little boy pays kindness forward

OWN CORRESPONDENT

In giving back, he and his family recently handed over R13 000 to Red Cross Hospital, an iPad and gifts for the children recovering there.  “This is for the best hospital ever,” said Jed.

His tale of bravery began when he first started suffering pain in his left knee at the age of two. “Strep knee”, the doctors said… He could not walk for two weeks, but luckily, he recovered, but what wasn’t realised is that this dreaded disease could recur.

When he turned 10 in 2016, that pain came back.  This time, he was diagnosed with CRPS, complex regional pain syndrome. He was bed-ridden, unable to attend school or play any sport or even play with his friends.

He had to take 32 pills a day, sat in doctors’ rooms for many hours; he gave up a lot. Fortunately, he was directed to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

The hospital put Jed’s parents in touch with other families who had gone through the same trauma. “We underestimated how much support these families would give us,” said Shana Kagan, Jed’s mom. “We realized that we were not on this journey alone. 

The day eventually came for him to be admitted to the hospital’s Pain Clinic  “where they instilled nothing but love and positivity”, said Shana.  After a week of ketamine infusions, Jed was finally relieved of the excruciating pain he suffered.  Jed came home with no pain – and had to learn to walk again.

CRPS can be triggered by an injury or a trauma. In Jed’s case, it was a virus that lodged in his knee. It is caused by a dysfunction in the nervous system. The nerves get abnormally stimulated, leading to abnormal impulses along the nerve paths. CRPS can spread, if not treated soon enough to other joints.

Shana calls Red Cross Children’s Hospital, “a most spectacular place”. The fact that all the doctors and therapists, who made up “Jed’s team”, have taken time to worry about the 10 children in Africa, who have suffered from this disease, is nothing short of a miracle. 

The overwhelming support from the Jewish community and from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, prompted Jed to “do something to honour them” and to show them the family’s appreciation.

“We decided to sew a Jedi Tedi a day for a year, and to have them sponsored for doctor’s rooms and therapy rooms. We would hand sew them to raise money for therapy and doctors’ rooms at the hospital,” said Shana. 

The family believed it was imperative to educate doctors and other people who need to know about CRPS in children. So, doctors were to be given “Jedi Tedis”, with the story of Jed, so that they can learn about the disease. The Jedi Tedis are made from socks, as Jed longed to wear a pair of socks when he was in pain, but could not.

The balance of Jedi Tedis will go to the little ones at Red Cross Children’s Hospital and at the end of a year, 365 Jedi Tedis will be delivered to the hospital.

“Anyone can help sew a Jedi Tedi with us, or sew at their school or while enjoying a cup of coffee anywhere,” Shana said. The rest of these little “reminders” made will be sold and the money made will be donated to the hospital’s Pain Clinic.

On May 17, Jedi Tedis made the trip to the Weizmann Primary School and over 150 Jedi Tedis were sold. It was money from these sales that Jed and his family gave to the Red Cross Hospital. And they are not done yet.