- The odds were stacked against Jarryd Grootboom when he was born prematurely in October 2002.
- Weighing only 410g at birth, he became the country’s smallest baby to have survived, but doctors feared he would not make it.
- Today, he shows how he beat the odds by surviving and thriving.
In October 2002, doctors told Jarryd Grootboom’s parents that it would be best to abort because he would not survive being born at only 26 weeks of gestation.
Despite his mother, Renee Grootboom, suffering from life-threatening pre-eclampsia, she and her husband, Jeremy Grootboom, remained adamant: they were going to bring their firstborn son into the world no matter how difficult the sacrifices would be.
When Jarryd made his arrival at Panorama Medi-Clinic in Cape Town on 31 October 2002, several months before his due date in February 2003, he weighed a mere 410g – less than a 500g brick of butter.
He was so tiny that his father’s wedding ring could fit around his upper arm.
At the time, he was the smallest baby in South Africa to have ever survived.
Yet, doctors remained cautious, predicting a grim future: “He won’t be able to read or write. He won’t attend school,” they warned.
“He will be dependent on his parents for life. He will never work and will need to apply for a disability grant.”
Defying all odds, through the prayers of his parents and his own incredible fighting spirit, Jarryd not only survived but thrived.
Despite retaining some minor deficits, he has never let them hold him back. As a baby, he reached milestones much later than his peers, and his oxygen dependency caused damage to his eyesight.
READ | Skin-to-skin ‘kangaroo’ care boosts premature babies’ survival chances – WHO
His body bears scars from the pipes that once connected him to hospital monitors.
Now, at 23 years old, while he perceives certain aspects of life differently than others his age who were not born prematurely, he is a relatively independent young man with a photographic memory and an incredible ability to recall even the smallest details about everyone he meets.
Just weeks ago, he passed his driving licence test and now drives his own car to work every day. Yes – to work.
Although this seemed impossible years ago, Jarryd has been employed as a merchandiser at Woolworths for the last four years.
Jarryd is now 23 years old and recently passed his driver’s licence test.
Jarryd’s journey is one of immense trauma, resilience, determination, and hope, though numerous life-threatening challenges marked it.
On Tuesday, Renee recounted to News24 the harrowing experiences of her son’s early months.
Jarryd faced a severe lung condition where the pressure in the major arteries of his lungs was dangerously high, and he had to be placed on an oscillator and ventilator.
At just two months old, both of his legs fractured, necessitating traction. This procedure caused his organs to shift, placing additional pressure on his lungs and leading to their collapse.
Renee shared:
The doctor explained that the bones in his legs were so fragile, they were like matchsticks. Being born so prematurely, his body couldn’t absorb essential nutrients, such as calcium. He was tiny but active, and he kicked so much that he literally broke his own legs.
She also recalled a devastating moment when Jarryd’s body began rejecting blood transfusions, leaving them in despair.
“He was born with only 36ml of blood in his body – just six teaspoons – and daily blood draws made transfusions critical. When his body started rejecting them, we truly thought it was the end. The doctors had predicted he wouldn’t survive,” Renee said.
But against all odds, Jarryd defied expectations.
“Look at him now,” Renee said with a smile.
“He showed such a fighting spirit back then, and today he’s still feisty, with an attitude to match, but such a soft gentleman.”
She recounted how she initially had no indication that anything was wrong until she became so severely swollen that even fitting a toothbrush between her lips to brush her teeth was impossible.
Following a doctor’s appointment, she was placed on bed rest. However, a subsequent scan revealed alarming news: the baby’s weight was critically low, with doctors estimating he might weigh only around 500g.
Renee was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening high-blood-pressure condition in pregnancy that was depriving her unborn child of oxygen and nutrients and placing her own life at risk.
“They told me I would have to terminate the pregnancy, but his father and I decided that abortion was never an option,” she said firmly.
Jarryd now drives his very own car.
She stated that the hospital in Knysna, where they lived, lacked the facilities to care for such a premature baby.
“We were told that if we wanted to proceed with the pregnancy, I would need to be transferred to another hospital.”
After researching specialists in micro-babies, Renee was urgently airlifted to Panorama Medi-Clinic in Cape Town.
Although the initial goal was to prolong the pregnancy as much as possible, her condition deteriorated rapidly. Just six days later, Jarryd was delivered via emergency C-section.
Renee shared that she was only allowed to see her son two days after his birth.
“I didn’t realise at the time how much a baby was supposed to weigh or how small he was in comparison. The first time I saw him, I couldn’t see much because his incubator was covered with plastic to mimic the conditions of the womb,” she recalled.
Later that same day, determined to see her son again, Renee forced herself out of her hospital bed and insisted on walking to the NICU. The reality of the situation hit her hard.
She said:
They wanted me to stay calm, but I knew I had to face the truth. I didn’t even want to be in a wheelchair. I was determined to walk there myself. When I saw him, he was so tiny I could hardly believe my eyes.
“The doctors told us we had a long road ahead, but the positivity of the hospital staff gave us hope.”
Renee shared that it wasn’t until Jarryd was a month old that they were finally able to hold him, which was an indescribable moment.
“It was surreal because he was so small. His hands and feet were tiny, but they kept moving against my skin as I held him. His dad was amazing with him because I was always afraid I might drop him … he was that small,” she said.
The family faced many challenges, including the inability to remain in Cape Town indefinitely.
“The doctor suggested I return to work after three months, so we visited him every other weekend. But every single day, he could still drink my milk because I would pump at home, freeze it, and send it overnight to Cape Town,” Renee said.
Jarryd at five months old when he his lung condition caused a major relapse.
After seven months in the hospital, Jarryd was finally discharged on Father’s Day the next year, still requiring an oxygen machine.
However, after two months at home, the family discovered one day that Jarryd had removed the oxygen tubes himself and was breathing on his own.
“It was nothing short of God’s grace,” Renee said.
Reflecting on Jarryd’s journey, she expressed immense pride.
“Seeing him today, doing all the things we never thought he would, is extraordinary. We are extremely proud of him. No words can describe what he went through, but he has grown so much mentally and emotionally. Since he started working, he understands the world better, and his horizons have broadened,” Renee said.
“We never treated him differently. He had chores like any other child, and when he reached his limit in mainstream schooling in Grade 3, he transitioned to Carpe Diem school in George, where he stayed in the hostel and even became a hostel prefect.”
Speaking from home on his day off, Jarryd shared his gratitude for how far he has come.
He said:
My parents told me what I went through, and I’m so thankful to have made it this far. I love my job and enjoy working. I’m also grateful to have my driving licence and my own car.
When he is not working or driving, Jarryd spends time with his dog, Toby, and enjoys beating everyone in video games, including his sister Abigail, 20.
“I love to travel too. I’m so grateful to be alive and have the opportunity to explore. If I’m not visiting my cousins in Kariega, I always feel the pull to go back to Cape Town, where it all began,” he said.
