Kimberley Toddler Races Against Time For Surgery That Could Restore Her Voice
- Three-year-old Jude Mouton from Kimberley cannot speak after a tracheostomy left her airway too narrow for sound
- Her family is raising R50,000 to travel to Cape Town for specialist airway assessments starting in September this year
- Doctors will attempt reconstructive surgery in October that could allow air to reach her vocal cords again finally
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Source: UGC
A three-year-old girl from Kimberley cannot use her voice after a tracheostomy narrowed her airway two years ago. Her family now needs R50,000 to travel to Cape Town for specialist surgery this September.
Jude Ameirah Hope Mouton breathes safely through the tracheostomy tube fitted after emergency surgery in 2024. She cannot speak, but she communicates through gestures, pointing and silent words her family understands.
The moment everything changed
According to a statement shared with Briefly News, Jude’s medical journey began before birth, when a scan revealed a problem with her heart. Doctors later found two holes in her heart that needed surgery.
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She underwent open-heart surgery in October 2024, but doctors struggled to place a breathing tube during the operation. Her airway proved far narrower than expected, forcing an emergency tracheostomy soon after.
The heart operation succeeded, but Jude’s family soon faced a new and unexpected challenge. On the night before she was due to go home, her breathing suddenly worsened.
Doctors rushed her back into theatre and fitted the tracheostomy that now helps her breathe. The tube kept Jude alive, but it also took away the voice she was learning to use.
Jude has since developed her own way of communicating with those around her. She points, forms silent words and uses gestures her parents have learned to read.
Caring for the tracheostomy is now part of daily life for the family. Her parents clean it, change it and suction her airway several times a day.
Doctors have now referred Jude to a specialist airway team in Cape Town for treatment. The first assessment is set for early September, followed by reconstructive surgery in October.
Surgeons hope the procedure will widen her airway enough to let air reach her vocal cords. Her parents have been told the full process could take several more procedures.
The family still faces medical bills not covered by their aid, along with travel and accommodation costs. Kimberley is roughly a ten-hour drive from Cape Town, and the family may need to fly instead. A BackaBuddy campaign called Help Jude Hope Find Her Voice has been launched to support them.
If the surgery goes well, Jude’s parents hope to finally hear her laugh and cry with her siblings again.
Watch her story below:
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Source: Briefly News
