When a heavy log fell and shattered part of six-year-old Kiera O’Sullivan’s skull, her family thought they had lost her… until a community of heroes stepped in and changed everything.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (27 December 2025) – Six-year-olds are meant to worry about scraped knees and bedtime stories, not survival. Yet when tragedy struck little Kiera O’Sullivan on a family outing, something extraordinary happened. What could have ended in heartbreak became a story of speed, skill and hope that refuses to let go.
A family outing in Ballito turned into a nightmare when a heavy log fell onto Kiera’s head, crushing part of her skull and facial features in front of her shocked family.
“I will never forget the sound. At first, we thought our daughter Kiera was already gone, but our faith carried us,” her mother, Shaydeen O’Sullivan, shares.
With every second counting, the emergency call was made, and Netcare 911 Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) was activated.
Advanced life support paramedic and base manager Navin Singh and emergency care practitioner Sibusisiwe Sibeko were on duty when the call came through for urgent assistance.
“When we arrived on the scene of the accident in Ballito, the seriousness of her injuries was clear. We assisted the paramedics from the first ambulance in stabilising Kiera sufficiently for transfer to Netcare St Anne’s Hospital, and explained to the parents exactly what we needed to do to help her, and tried to reassure them as best we could in the circumstances,” Sibeko recalls.
Their decision to use air transfer was life-altering.
“Time was absolutely critical, and by road, the journey to the most appropriate hospital for her injuries would have taken about an hour and forty-five minutes. With the HEMS air transfer, we could fly Kiera there in just 25 minutes. Details of her condition, the medication administered, and emergency procedures performed were relayed to the receiving trauma team digitally via our electronic medical records system,” Singh explains.
At Netcare St Anne’s Hospital, a full trauma team including trauma surgeon Dr Howard Wain, emergency medical physician Dr Steve Feris, and specialists were already waiting for her arrival.
“I received advanced notification of the child being rushed to the hospital by helicopter, having sustained a head injury,” Dr Wain says.
“Anecdotally speaking, Kiera’s journey turned out to be a remarkable story of hope – not only for the good outcome she achieved so quickly considering the extent of her injuries but also for the faith, calm and peace her parents showed at their daughter’s bedside.”
Netcare St Anne’s is one of only four private Level 1 trauma centres accredited by the Trauma Society of South Africa (TSSA), and its emergency department is built for cases exactly like this, the most critical, complex injuries, even in paediatric patients.
A CT scan revealed multiple facial fractures, bruising, bleeding, and swelling of the brain. Neurosurgeon Dr Sandile Ngwenya and maxillofacial surgeon Dr Ciaran Lalor undertook an intricate procedure to repair the fractured orbital and frontal bones of Kiera’s skull and reconstruct her face.
“The contusions, or bruising on Kiera’s brain were quite severe and after the surgery she was moved to the intensive care unit, where we kept her in neuroprotection. This is a medically induced coma that provides time for the brain to rest, allowing the swelling to dissipate and the injured nerves to heal before we wake the patient,” Dr Ngwenya explains.
“Kiera’s reconstruction went beautifully; she did well clinically and fortunately, she made excellent progress rapidly. When she came in for her follow-up, we could see just how well she was doing.”
Just 12 days after the accident, Kiera returned home to Greytown, a turnaround that still feels surreal to her parents.
“Our prayers were answered, and by the grace of God, Kiera has been restored to us, and she’s doing amazingly well. Except for her short hair and a scar, there’s virtually no sign of what she’s been through. She is riding her bicycle again and running around the farm. She loves animals, and she tells us she wants to be a cowgirl one day,” Shaydeen shares.
Their gratitude runs deep.
“As a family, we want to give glory to God for the miraculous recovery of our child. Our sincere gratitude to Dr Ngwenya, Dr Wain, Dr Lalor, paediatricians Dr Zamaswazi Ntombela and Dr Mthokozisi Cele, and the entire team at Netcare St Anne’s Hospital for their expertise and care, and to everyone who prayed for Kiera,” the relieved parents say.
“At the time of Kiera’s accident, we could hardly dare hope that we would be together as a family for Christmas, and now we are planning to stay home on the farm and give thanks.”
Today, Kiera is back where she belongs: on her bicycle, hair in the wind, planning her “cowgirl” life, growing up… and moving forward.
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