A baby boy who fell from his sister’s arms onto his head and ended up in a coma with severe haemorrhaging is now in a stable condition after doctors told his parents to pray for his life.
Nine-month-old Ruda Rodrigues de Andrade fell from his four-year-old sister’s arms after she picked him up, and hit his head on the floor at their home in the Brazilian municipality of Sao Vicente on 27th January.
He was rushed to a local hospital in a critical condition.
Mum Maryanna Rodrigues Krachinski, 33, told local media: “The doctor said that as he’s very heavy, he weighs 14 kilogrammes (31 lbs), and he fell awkwardly, the pressure was all on his head. This caused a haemorrhage.”
Ruda was transferred to intensive care in the nearby municipality of Santos and was placed into an induced coma for 48 hours.
He underwent surgery on 28th January, but further tests revealed a new haemorrhage and he had to undergo a further procedure within 24 hours.
After two operations, Ruda is still in intensive care, but to the delight of his worried parents, he is now in a stable condition.
Maryanna told local media: “Yesterday (31st January), he woke up, the doctor did another CT scan on him and saw there was no more haemorrhaging. Now we just need to wait and see how he responds, if it hasn’t affected any part of his brain.
“I thought my son wouldn’t survive. All the doctors said his condition was very delicate. During the last operation, one of the doctors asked me to pray because his chances of survival were slim. He could have suffered brain death.”
Ruda will need further treatment after being discharged as well as follow-up appointments with a physiotherapist and speech therapist.
His parents are currently with him in hospital and his sisters are with their grandparents. The family is currently trying to raise funds on social media to keep them going and to pay for Ruda’s future treatment as they are currently unable to work.
Despite the rocky road ahead, Maryanna remains positive. She said: “My son came out of those two operations alive and that’s already a triumph.”
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