Getting a new lease of life

14 Aug, 2016 - 07:08 0 Views
Getting a new lease of life Ms Catherine Marandure holding her daughter Tanatswa Mehlomakulu on her lap

The Sunday Mail

Shamiso Yikoniko and Michelle Makore
She rests her cheek on her right hand as she gasps for air. Her eyes wander to some place beyond the hills. Her mind is certainly not here. Ms Catherine Marandure of Zvimba seems unaware of the racket the children in the room make as they revel in the screams their little lungs can muster. She should be celebrating with these children and their parents, but her reflections on the unfortunate circumstances that brought her to that room still preoccupy her thoughts.

Her four-year-old daughter, Tanatswa Mehlomakulu, has just returned from India where she and nine other children underwent successful heart surgery. Flashes of her condition before the procedure remain before her mother’s eyes.

From birth, Tanatswa was frail and had difficulties breathing. Needless to say, this gave the mother countless sleepless nights and all that kept her going was hope. Now she has had her miracle. “Tanatswa always had me worried with her somewhat slow development.

“However, I couldn’t pinpoint where the real problem was,” says Ms Marandure as she fights back the tears.

“As a mother-of-three, I quickly noticed that Tanatswa was different, especially when it concerned her weight loss. She could easily get tired and had difficulties walking.

“Now, instead of being happy today, I can’t help but think of the misery my family had to go through because of Tanatswa.”

Kutama Mission Hospital had become Tanatswa and her mother’s second home.

When Tanatswa was three-years-old, medical practitioners told Ms Marandure that her daughter had chronic heart disease.

Her heart was submersed in water, they said, and things did not bode well for the girl. Though Tanatswa got some medication, her condition was to deteriorate.

“I took Tanatswa back to Kutama Mission Hospital, and the doctors referred us to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in March 2016 for further tests,” says Ms Marandure.

“At Parirenyatwa, they concluded that my daughter was indeed suffering from a heart condition called tetralogy of fallot. And the only solution would be to perform corrective surgery.”

While admitted at Parirenyatwa, a ray of sunshine came through for Tanatswa: she was considered for the HeartLine Programme, one of the National Oil Infrastructure Company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Health experts say tetralogy of fallot is a rare condition caused by a combination of four heart defects at birth. These defects, which affect the structure of the heart, cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body.

The disease is often diagnosed during infancy or soon after and symptoms include shortness of breath, poor weight gain, tiring easily and irritability.

“Tetralogy of fallot occurs during foetal growth, when the baby’s heart is developing. “While factors such as poor maternal nutrition, viral illness or genetic disorders might increase the risk of this condition, in most cases the cause is unknown,” say medical experts.

Corrective surgery is the only effective treatment, and NOIC showed up in the nick of time for Tanatswa. In collaboration with the Rotary Club Chitungwiza, the company sent seven heart patients to India, with Tanatswa among them and with the most serious condition.

They went to India on July 11, 2016, returning on August 9. Beneficiaries were from disadvantaged families that would have never imagined raising money for such a procedure.

“I’m grateful to NOIC and the Rotary Club of Chitungwiza for giving my daughter a new lease of life,” Ms Marandure says, at last a slight smile lighting up her countenance.

“Tanatswa is now able to walk properly and feed well, and I’m thankful to God for sending such angels to help me and other beneficiaries in a time of need.” A function was held at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals last Thursday to welcome the patients back home.

Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Samuel Undenge, whose portfolio involves superintending NOIC, was evidently pleased.

“The underlying objective is the need to give back to the community, and the intention is to continue on this noble path, through a number of life-changing initiatives that will raise the quality of lives in the communities in which we operate,” he said.

His Health and Child Care counterpart, Dr David Parirenyatwa, added: “My ministry is very grateful for this initiative which saw 10 of our children with acute heart conditions being accorded a new lifespan.”

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