Dubai: His smiles and giggles are a far cry from what he was like about a year ago — a frail young baby with an enlarged head.
Lance Gavien Lahay-Lahay marked his first birthday on Friday in the presence of family and friends at a restaurant in Satwa. His prominent forehead and bulging eyes have receded, his back now strong enough to carry his heavy head.
Lance was born prematurely on September 26 last year to Filipino couple Jason and Maria at Latifa Hospital. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus with trigone of the lateral ventricle, or an abnormal condition where fluid accumulates in the back part of his brain. Gulf News featured the couple in November as they struggled to pay for their six-week-old son’s surgery then.
Ten months and three surgeries later, Lance is the picture of a healthy and happy baby boy.
“He’s doing considerably well now. He can now support his head but for a limited time. He couldn’t move his head from left to right before, but all that has changed,” Maria, 28, an administrative and marketing officer, told Gulf News.
Wearing a sailor’s suit, Lance’s first birthday celebration depicted that of a ship’s maiden voyage. His parents said they hope he’ll sail through life’s trials just fine.
“His first birthday is really a thanksgiving celebration. There are so many people who we would like to thank for making this moment possible, for giving Lance a chance to live a normal life,” Maria said.
“We’d like to thank Desiree Vlekken of Forget-me-Not.org for connecting us with Lola Lopez of Volunteers in UAE who has helped us from the beginning until now. And thank you also to Gulf News for publishing Lance’s story. It provided us with an avenue for him to get help when we needed it the most.”
Maria said Lopez not only raised funds for Lance’s operations, she also helped her and her husband secure jobs so they could provide for their only child.
“I’m delighted to see him reach his first chronological milestone and again a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to all his medical and surgical costs, which gave him the best chance possible to reach his first birthday,” Lopez told Gulf News.
Vlekken, who also supported the family from the start, said: “We weren’t expecting him to reach this far. We were really surprised to see his progress. If you compare his before and after pictures, you’ll see a huge difference.”
“I have a feeling he will grow up to be an extraordinary man. There is a reason why he survived this,” she added.
Maria said many more came forward to help and but she couldn’t mention them all. She, however, showed her appreciation to a group of employees who passed the hat to help such as Solas Marine in Business Bay. Jebel Ali-based Tristar also helped, along with the couple’s church friends.
Lance is currently being constantly monitored for his condition. He undergoes regular occupational, physical, and speech therapy at Latifa Hospital because his condition delayed his mental development. But Maria is positive that Lance will overcome all that, too.
“At such a young age, Lance has been operated on three times, been at the ICU more than we had expected, yet he never showed signs of giving up. He’s a fighter. He showed strength. He showed us that he will make it through, and he did.”
