It was a joyous moment for six children after they received a new gift of life following free heart surgery at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Heart Hospital.
12-year-old Raina Ram, 8-year-old Lepani Veiseyaki and 5-year-old Latileta Mausio of Fiji, 4-year-old Maria De Monfort Christopher, 2-month-old Takabo Mikaere of Kiribati, and 1-year-old Serah Duri of the Solomon Islands underwent surgeries performed by medical teams from Australia and Singapore.
Ram’s mother, Ronita Chand, says her daughter was first diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease after they took her to Labasa Hospital when she experienced difficulty breathing and sleeping.
She says Ram would get sick often, tire easily and was unable to play.
She is advising all parents to take their children for screening and early detection and to take any changes in their children’s health seriously.
Insert: her breathing is good now 9th sept
Meanwhile, Mausio’s mother, Laisa Yabakisiga, says her daughter was diagnosed with a heart condition after she was born.
She says Mausio underwent an echocardiogram at Lautoka Hospital and was then referred to the Heart Hospital, where she underwent surgery on Saturday.
She says her daughter is recovering well and her health has improved.
Insert: We are happy for her new life KK 9th Sept
Meanwhile, Kiribati medical carer Jennifer Kiata, who is in Fiji with Mikaere and her mother, Kaboiti, for Mikaere’s surgery, says the family is grateful that she has been given a new lease on life.
Kiata says the family back home is eagerly awaiting their return to celebrate Mikaere’s new life.
The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital has so far performed 489 paediatric heart surgeries, 56,883 heart screenings and 85,715 medical consultations across Fiji.
