Boy Given 30% Survival Chance Recovers in Record Time

Legacy Haenga was playing with friends at his Kaikohe school last October when he suddenly told them he was tired, lay down, and fell asleep. Staff found the 11-year-old convulsing and called for emergency help.

After being airlifted to Starship Hospital in Auckland, scans revealed bleeding on his brain from an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of abnormal blood vessels he was born with that had burst. Doctors placed him in an induced coma and told his mother Kyla he had just a 30% chance of survival.

Over three months, Legacy underwent four brain surgeries to relieve the pressure. His mum sat at his bedside while he fought to survive, facing the possibility she might lose her son.

When Legacy woke up in January, doctors expected it would take 12 months before he could talk or walk again. Instead, he started talking the same day he regained consciousness.

"Nobody could believe it," Kyla said. Legacy has no memory of October through January, but within months he regained his ability to do most things, far exceeding every medical prediction.

Sunny's Take

During his stay at Wilson rehab center, Legacy discovered something unexpected: a love of baking. While working on the coordination issues in his right hand, he found joy in the kitchen.

He's made red velvet cupcakes for his mum's birthday, vanilla cupcakes for his grandmother, chocolate chip cookies, donut bites, kinder brownies, and scones. Now he's putting his newfound passion to work for the people who saved him.

Legacy signed up for Starship's Big Bake Off fundraiser, a month-long community baking challenge that raises money for New Zealand's national children's hospital. He's already raised $200 toward his $1,000 goal.

"The nurses, the surgeons, everybody genuinely cared," Kyla said. "We wouldn't be where we are today without Starship. Legacy is here because of them."

Though Legacy still experiences fatigue and balance issues and needs regular check-ups, he's walking, talking, eating well, and going on adventures. He recently took his first holiday to Auckland, where he enjoyed Korean barbecue and tacos.

He's now attending correspondence school while continuing his recovery, turning what doctors called nearly impossible into his new normal.