👁️💔 A toddler’s eye melts away because of a simple mistake: a heartbroken mom pleads with others never to do this… 😢 👶 her baby’s life changed forever.
Today, she breaks the silence to warn other parents and help prevent the worst. What she went through is heartbreaking, but her message could save lives.
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Every parent has experienced those little troubles with a child: colds, fevers, and sometimes minor infections. But what Michelle Saaiman went through with her son completely turned their world upside down.
In Namibia, Michelle one day noticed that the eye of her 16-month-old little boy Juwan looked irritated. At first, she thought it was just a simple case of conjunctivitis. Antibiotic drops were given, but nothing worked. Her son’s condition worsened.
Worried, she consulted a specialist — and discovered the unimaginable: Juwan had contracted a herpes virus in his cornea, likely from a kiss given by someone with an active cold sore.
In shock, Michelle said: “The doctor told me a cold sore was growing inside my child’s eye. I honestly thought it was a joke.”
Sadly, the infection severely damaged Juwan’s cornea. So badly that the eye dried up, losing its natural lubrication, and a 4 mm hole formed. The doctors feared he might lose the entire eye.
“The herpes had destroyed the nerves. My child could no longer feel anything and was completely blind in that eye. His brain had stopped communicating with the eye. The natural gel evaporated, and the eye just dried out,” Michelle explained.
To try to save it, the family traveled to Cape Town, where he received an amniotic membrane transplant, and his eyelids were temporarily sewn shut to protect the eye. A major surgery is scheduled for April to transfer nerves from his leg to his eye. If successful, a corneal transplant may be possible the following year.
Despite these trials, Juwan remains remarkably brave. “He keeps smiling, he’s a real little soldier. But he has suffered so much,” his mom shared. “It’s heartbreaking to accept that such a small child must go through so much.”
Michelle and her husband felt deep anger toward the person who transmitted this virus to their son. “We were furious that someone kissed our baby with an active cold sore. Of course, it wasn’t done out of harm, but the consequences are devastating,” she said.
Since then, their life has been filled with medical procedures, endless appointments, and fragile hopes. They even reached out to specialists in New York to get the necessary medications. The fear that the infection could spread to the brain or his other eye haunts them.
Today, Michelle wants to raise awareness about the dangers of herpes transmission, especially through gestures that seem harmless. “I would have never imagined a cold sore could affect a child’s cornea,” she said.
Her message, shared on Facebook, touched thousands of people, and a fundraising campaign was launched to cover Juwan’s expensive treatments, including trips to South Africa and specialized care.
This story reminds us just how vigilant we must be with little ones, so vulnerable to viruses. We send all our strength to Juwan and his parents, hoping they will overcome this ordeal together.
