Two girls from the Solomon Islands have received a new gift of life after doctors from the United Kingdom and Australia performed heart surgeries on them during the November surgical month.
Jenny Darlingi, the Aunt of 6-year-old Nyma Alvick, says they had taken her to a doctor for vomiting, loss of appetite and swollen ankle.
Darlingi says they were heartbroken when doctors confirmed after conducting tests that she had a heart condition.
She says the doctor informed her about Sai Sanjeevani Children's Heart Hospital which performs free heart surgeries to all children in the Pacific.
The 42-year-old says they had done fundraising to raise funds to travel from Solomon to Fiji because after COVID-19, they did not have enough money to pay for their airfares.
Meanwhile, Sandrina Willie, the mother of Hadasha Riko, says her daughter got really sick last year and due to her workload she was not able to pay attention to the symptoms.
Willie says before it got worse, she sought medical assistance.
She says after an echo was performed, they were informed about the heart issue and it made her think that she should not have waited.
She is encouraging parents not to overlook unusual symptoms and seek medical care for their children to receive treatment.
