9th Sep 2010 12:22:53 PM The Charities | The Children | Dorah Mokoena | Health | Schools / Training | Community | Regional Reports | UMashesha Home Amanda Simanga New Amukelani Dube New Andani Mphaphuli New Anele Nyongwana New Babalwa Debele New Bafana Nzima New Balombo Bambula New Basheeba Worlotoe New Boipelo Mosegedi New Bongani Madlala New Bongani Phakati New Bonginkosi New Brendan New Chris M New Deon Slabbert New Dikeledi Mboko New Doreen New Ernest Tshabalala New Evelyn Minto Essono's New Feleng New Franklin New Fursy Mogobe New Gabriel New Gloria New Gontise Mogotsi New Habiba New Helen Matondo New Irene Peta New Jabulani Malungane New Jacques Abrahams New Janine Barends New Jaun Henning New Jeffers Zitha New Jose New Jose Mvula New Kagiso Maphoso New Kagiso Mathebula New Kagiso Mphuti New Karabo Thebedi New Kedibone New Kenyan New Kjetil Sandivk Havnen New Koketso Sekuru New Lee Branco New Liane Grond New Lida Basson New Linda Nana Tshbalala New Londeka Ngidi New Maje New Marco Bronkhorst New Mbali New Mfundo Ntamehlo New Michelle Mthenjwa New Mimi New Mittah New Mlungisi New Mohau Qumpula New Mpho Maja New Musa Zwane New Musiwa New Neliswe Radebe New Nelson Tsabalala New Nkululeko New Nouna boy New Nsizwa Vilakazi New Nyakallo New Oscar Mlondolozi Hadebe New Phindile New Piet Moloja New Reagan New Rolivhuwa Matodzi New Rose Wambua New Rumbi New Saloma Aphanye New Sameh Chiboub New Samkelo Sole New Samukelo Radebe New Seif New Seizo New Selamawit New Shirley Seqobane New Sicelo New Simamkele New Sithembiso Hlatshwayo New Siyabonga Morwasetla New Siyabonga Nokumbi New Siyamthanda New Sizwe New Steven Marakeng Mpyana New Sunday Mukaza New Tapera Jani New Tavonga New Thapelo New Thomas New Thulani Nhleko New Tshepiso Sekuru New Vhahangwele Matodz New Vivian New Vusi Mathibela New Xavier New Yassine Ben Ali New Zanele Jeza New Zenette and Precious Van Wyke New Zianda Ndlovu New Zipho Zwane New Feleng Feleng and his much-loved Mitta celebrated her birthday with a balloon ride together on 22 August 2010 Feleng is in need of so much more surgery, but obtaining the expertise in South Africa or further afield is hard. It is either costly or not available. He still needs digital distraction to improve his hand, a lot of work on his nose, and a back muscle transferred to the back of his head. Eyelid contractures will need to be re-released in years to come. He has years of operations ahead of him and will need to remain in Children of Fire's specialised environment with a paramedic available 24/7 and other medical help close at hand. He has developed a close affinity with social work manager Mitta Lebaka and is bonding well with her extended family, aunt Ayanda and gogo Gloria. This is helping him to link to his Sotho roots; similarly with the time he spends with classmate Doreen Msimanga's Sotho-speaking family in some extended holidays. Feleng, July 2007, enjoying a drink at the Kilimanjaro climbers return party at moyo, Zoo Lake, Johannesburg. When a drip is put up and there is infection at the needle site afterwards, this is the result. Feleng (lighter hand), Sunday (darker hand) February 2010 Feleng is back in South Africa tonight … but still seems to have a foot emotionally in two hemispheres…. Feleng is home tomorrow Feleng Mahamotse returned to South African after surgery in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday 9th March 2009. He was accompanied by Children of Fire’s British volunteer Christopher Wilson. He has become a popular boy in the ancient city and he loves taking photographs. Monica Mueller, a reporter with Zurich’s daily German-language newspaper Tages Anzeiger, says: “He really enjoys taking pictures! He took 500 photos of myself, photographer Sophie Stieger and his South African careworker Abegail Ximba, when we visited him in hospital! “Feleng is such a nice boy, we will miss him!” Prof Brigitee Pittet-Cuenod draws muscle to be removed from Feleng's back the article is also online http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/. It is also teased at at the front: Something along the line small boy lies great hope in Zürich… Feleng with Alpine geraniums; Feleng with smiling fire hydrant Feleng in Swiss-Roman town of Avenches Feleng by Geneva's famous water spout (spouting since 1891…!) Near Lake Geneva, Feleng enjoyed trying out playground toys that don't even exist in South Africa. On August 22nd 2008, Feleng Mahamotse hand-delivered a letter to Athar Sultan-Khan, Chef de Cabinet, United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Geneva, dealing with the inaction of UNHCR Pretoria, from a variety of human rights advocacy groups in South Africa. All those affected, await the response. Feleng is a South African burns survivor who has an increasing number of friends who are refugees and are also burns survivors. Feleng riding a black horse beside the city of Geneva, Sunday August 24th 2008. Professor Brigitte Pittet-Cuenod at the University Hospital of Geneva, feeling the side of Feleng's face and scalp, as she traced arterial flow on 22nd August 2008. The Professor considers how blood flow would be maintained to his existing scalp when split ribs are placed in the bony deficit (hole) below. Feleng enjoyed exploring Zuerich with Kari Sulc of Nepomuk Kinderladen in August 2008, especially because there are so many drinking fountains where one can fill up a newly obtained plastic syringe. Nepomuk sent Feleng home with beautiful Czech wooden toys and stickers to share with other burned children. Nepomuk is based at Klingenstrasse 23, CH-8005 Zürich see www.nepomuk-online.ch Feleng and charity director Bronwen Jones first paddled in Lake Geneva, where they were kindly hosted by Elaine and Pierre Morel. Early the next morning they took the plunge and swam in the chilly August Alpine waters, admiring the snowy peak of Mont Blanc in the distance. Feleng was kindly hosted by the Sulc family at Oleyres, near the ancient Roman town of Avenches, Switzerland. Flowers and Alpine architecture were vastly different to the streets of Johannesburg with which Feleng is familiar. Feleng liked to go walking with Milan Sulc and his big brave dog Betsy in the forests of Oleyres, Switzerland, looking for wild mushrooms. Feleng Mahamotse (6) met with three surgeons at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland on August 20th, 2008. Dr Walter Kuenzi (glasses on his forehead) Dr Merlin Guggenheim (wearing glasses) Dr Angelo Biriama (no glasses) Feleng gave the surgeons toy metal bicycles from Africa as a “thank you” for taking time to meet him… but could not resist playing with the bicycles himself, before being diverted with all the levers to make a hospital bed go up and down… and the gift of large plastic syringes. Feleng Mahamotse has just been on an interesting trip to Switzerland to search for a forehead… and we'd like to print a collection of his impressions about his travels… Children of Fire child Feleng Mahamotse (6) sets off to Switzerland on Sunday night (arriving Monday morning) in search of a forehead. He is going to meet Dr. Merlin Guggenheim at the Verbrennungs-Chirurgie Unit of the University Hospital in Zurich and doctors in other Swiss cities as well. Feleng lost his forehead at the age of one month when he was severely burned in a shack fire. He was treated at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. He lives at Children of Fire in Auckland Park and in the past two years has undergone surgery to his eyelids at Johannesburg Academic Hospital and at St John’s Eye Hospital. He needs a digital extractor to lengthen his damaged fingers but that equipment is not available to paediatric burns patients in South Africa. He also needs the massive boney deficit (hole) in his skull filled with strips of demineralised bone from a cadaver, which could grow with his own skull. So in Organ Donor Month, South Africans might think how even their skull bone can help a badly injured child, once the donor has passed on. Feleng is a very bright little boy who attends the Johannesburg School for Blind, Low Vision and Multiple Disability Children in Auckland Park. He loves climbing on the jungle gym, stroking his big fluffy dog “Buttons”, playing with toy cars, drumming and playing on the piano, and generally being a happy mischievous chap. His best friends are Sizwe, Zanele, Obvious, Thapelo and Sicelo. Feleng (6) after the third attempt on his eyelid, Oct/Nov 2007 Feleng Mahamotse in February 2008 with tactile sheep art made from recycled milk packet tops, fruit juice foils and other plastic bottle lids. Here are Feleng Mahamotse’s CT scans made in December 2007. Feleng turns six years old on 19th December 2007. He was burned at the age of one month. The boney deficit resulting from the burns was exacerbated by sepsis shortly after injury. Feleng in April 2008 with his friend Tammy Mitchell whom he hopes to visit in the USA one day. This material is Copyright © The Dorah Mokoena Charitable Trust and/or Children of Fire , 1998-2010. Distribution or re-transmission of this material, excluding the Schools' Guide, is expressly forbidden without prior permission of the Trust. For further information, email firechildren@icon.co.za About Children of Fire | Contact us | Advertise with us COPYRIGHT © 2010 Children of Fire. All rights reserved. Designed Developed and Maintained by Fyre Interactive