The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
WHAT seemed to be a dream, has now become a reality for eight-year-old Mikayla Sibanda from Pumula, Bulawayo who needs a life saving heart operation as she was selected to receive an all expenses covered round trip to Italy following a successful assessment by visiting Italian doctors at All Souls Mission Hospital in Mutoko last week.
According to medical reports, she has Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and small secondum atrial septal defect (ASD), basically two holes in her heart that need to be corrected in order for her to lead a normal life.
All Souls Mission Hospital
Last week her parents, Mr Remembrance Sibanda and Ms Sicelo Malisa travelled to Mutoko for an assessment by specialists who visit the institution annually to identify children with serious cardiac needs that require urgent surgery. An elated Ms Malisa upon her return from Mutoko, said she was happy that her child was selected for surgery that she has been failing to access locally.
“We travelled well to Mutoko, we were given overnight accommodation and meals at the hospital. We saw the doctors on Thursday last week and they assessed her and said Mikayla qualified to get the surgery done in Italy for the holes in her heart to be closed. However, the doctors said they have another option which could see her getting a procedure done to close the holes without an open-heart surgery,” she said.
The cardiologist from Italy said Mikayla was suitable for percutaneous correction for both her defects. This is an intervention that sees a patient getting a closure device inserted into the veins to the heart to close the holes as opposed to an open-heart surgery where an incision is made through the chest wall to access the heart directly and patches are used to close the holes.
Ms Malisa said the Italian doctors said Mikayla must go to Italy as soon as possible but they have been held up by travel documents.
“My passport expired so they said I must get a new one and they start visa processing for me and Mikayla and we will travel to Italy soon. The doctors said they will keep her in hospital for at least 20 days depending on whichever procedure they will avail for her,” she said.
Ms Sicelo Malisa
Ms Malisa said she went to Mutoko to ensure if her daughter would get the help as open heart surgeries were no longer being done in Zimbabwe. “We were not sure when we went looking at other conditions that we saw there but I was so happy that Mikayla was chosen and was given a priority as her case was considered urgent. I thank God because some children were scheduled for March, September, December 2023 but for us it was immediate. So as soon as my passport is out, we are leaving,” she said.
Mr Sibanda, Mikayla’s father was also elated over the help they received in Mutoko.
“We were attended expeditiously and the doctors acknowledged that the diagnosis done at Mpilo Hospital was indeed correct after they examined her too, and they told us they could solve the problem either via an open heart surgery or the process of inserting a device to close the gap and there is no surgery. They said they will make a decision once she reaches Italy,” he said.
He said he was optimistic that they would be successful and thanked the visiting doctors for giving free diagnosis and treatment options for children with heart problems.
He said the cost of treating heart diseases was very expensive with many failing to access it leading to a number of children losing their lives. He also thanked Ms Tendai Moyo the founder of Brave Little Hearts for availing information and enlightening parents on the Italian doctors that offer help to children with heart diseases at no cost.
@NyembeziMu
