Hayden’s Christmas Miracle at St Joseph’s Home

by Admin · December 5, 2025

Top left: Hayden when he was first admitted. Top right: Hayden joins St Joseph’s school for the first time. Bottom right: Hayden enjoying looking at a book at St Joseph’s. Bottom left: Hayden receiving aqua therapy at St Jospeh’s for the first time

When seven-year-old Hayden was admitted to St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care in March this year, his prognosis was touch-and-go. Tuberculous meningitis meant he could not walk and had resulted in severe malnutrition. He was in severe pain and could hardly bear to be touched.

But six months later, this once-quiet little boy walks, laughs, sings and eats up a storm – and is a testament to both his fighting spirit and the world-class care provided at St Joseph’s, which has cared for more than 30 000 children over its 90-year existence.

Hayden can sit without support, feed himself with a built-up spoon, dress with assistance, and use both hands to reach, grasp, and explore. His visual perception has improved, and he recently began attending St Joseph’s school, a meaningful step toward greater independence.

Hayden’s recovery is one of many healing stories at St Joseph’s. Each year, the facility supports hundreds of children who arrive with complex health challenges and nowhere else to turn. Many cannot be adequately cared for at home and lack the resources to find help elsewhere. At St Joseph’s, they receive the care they need, without the burden of cost.

How You Can Help

This Christmas, you can help bring light and comfort to courageous children who call St Joseph’s home. For 90 years, St Joseph’s has been a place of recovery and renewal, where skilled care and kindness transform fragile lives. This festive season, we invite you to be part of a modern-day miracle, the Gift of Life.

To support the Gift of Life, visit: https://stjosephsipc.org.za/the-gift-of-life/

St Joseph’s is a 175-bed facility that provides free, transitional care to children from vulnerable communities across the Western Cape. Referred by hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Cape Metropole, these young patients face chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy, infectious diseases, brain injuries, neurological disorders, and cancer. At St Joseph’s, they receive expert multidisciplinary, rehabilitative, and restorative care — bridging the critical gap between hospital and home.