Baby back after surgery

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 2

Baby back after surgery

Baby Joel Edmonds and his tired parents have arrived back in New Zealand after seven weeks in Melbourne for emergency surgery on the baby, the Press Association reports.

Joel was rushed to Australia for treatment for the rare disease biliary artesia after Ashburton people raised the necessary funds.

Now, two operations later, Joel is in Christchurch Hospital under observation and awaiting surgery for a hernia.

His father, Manuel, said yesterday that Joel was “not too bad” and was expected to be in hospital for two or three days. “Now we just have to wait for our son to increase his bile flow, or his liver will become more arid more damaged.” Mr Edmonds said. “The Christchurch doctors want to observe him and assess the operations. Then my wife and son can come home.” Mr Edmonds was back at work, yesterday, after a long night of travelling and reorganising the family home.

“As soon as we arrived back here, I took Maxine and Joel to the hospital and came down here. I worked until early this morning getting things sorted out,” he said. “But we’re home.”

The baby's condition last evening was described as “fairly comfortable.”