How Close-to-Home Care Healed Little Layla and Eased a Family’s Burden

Photo Credit: Children’s Hospital Trust via Facebook

After a devastating burn accident, Layla’s journey to recovery meant long trips from Ceres to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, bringing travel costs that weighed heavily on her family… until a new world-class burns care unit arrived closer to home.

Cape Town, South Africa (28 September 2026) – It has been over a year since little Layla suffered a burn accident that threw her and her family into a stressful panic, leading to multiple hospital visits – most of which were far from home.

It had been an ordinary Monday morning on a farm in Ceres as the family got ready for the day. Layla’s mom, Leoni, had rubbed hair food into Layla’s hair before heading out to work on the farm. As her older brother and sister got dressed, Layla toddled off to play. She found a lighter, and while she was playing, the oils in her hair caught fire.

When her father, Fabian, found her, he immediately tried to beat out the flames with his hands. As his own hands began to burn, he grabbed his daughter and rushed her to the bathroom to douse her in water.

The little girl was taken to the Ceres clinic, where her wounds were assessed before she was referred to Ceres Hospital. They arrived at 10:00 am; however, because Layla couldn’t be fully treated there at the time, she was then referred to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH).

While they waited for transport, Layla’s wounds were washed and dressed, and she was given pain medication. When the transport arrived, there was only space for Layla and her mom. They set off for Cape Town at 9 pm, arriving after 11 pm, and Fabian followed in a private car.

While Layla was being treated in the hospital, Leoni and Fabian had to balance work and other family responsibilities with staying by her bedside. Swapping shifts meant spending more money on transport, as the Red Cross hospital was so far from home.

Layla was eventually discharged, and the family headed back just in time to celebrate her second birthday at home. Unfortunately, her wounds became infected, and she urgently needed to return to RCWMCH. With no money left and no ambulance available to transport them, they had to use Leoni’s father’s pension money to fund the two-hour drive.

Layla was readmitted and underwent surgery. Her ongoing recovery required close monitoring and regular follow-up treatments to ensure proper healing.

When a new burns unit was unveiled last August at Ceres Hospital, world-class care suddenly became much closer for little Layla. Previously, limited infrastructure meant that children arriving at Ceres District Hospital could only be stabilised before being referred to other facilities. However, the opening of the purpose-built Burns and Wound Care Room at Ceres Hospital meant Layla could be transferred back from the Red Cross hospital – easing both the physical burden of travel and the heavy financial strain.

Nadine Saunders, Operational Manager in the trauma department at Ceres Hospital, recently shared that Layla’s treatment has gone smoothly and that her burn wounds have healed completely.

“Layla is living a normal, healthy life,” Nadine says.

Supported by RCWMCH, the Harry Crossley Children’s Nursing Development Unit and other partners, the burns unit is training more staff and making a major impact in the Ceres community, ensuring the best possible care for every patient who walks through its doors.

The long waits, transport struggles, and intense stress that families like Layla’s had to endure have now been significantly eased, allowing children from the Cape Winelands to be cared for closer to home.