The Sunday Mail
Grace Kaerasora Extra Reporter —
It was an all-smiles affair at the Harare International Airport arrivals terminal as family and friends waited for Shamiso Yikoniko and Manqoba Mabhena’s arrival last Wednesday.
The crowd of relatives and friends kept throwing nervous but excited glances at the terminal entrance as they lay in wait for mother and child who, when they appeared, were engulfed in hugs, with a smiling Gogo Mabhena taking Baby “Nono” in her arms and cooing sweetly in her little ears.
Gogo Mabhena, describing her feelings as bubbly, said she was glad the anticipated return of fully-recovered Baby Manqoba had finally arrived. Shamiso’s aunt could not describe how she was feeling as she held back tears of joy.
“We just cannot imagine it; we are so overwhelmed and are just holding back tears. But we are really happy,” she said.
Shamiso too was all weepy as she received hugs from family and friends. “I cannot describe this feeling, that is why I am crying,” she sobbed.
Gogo Mabhena could not stop thanking God for the return of her grand-baby and noted sombrely that in the beginning she had thought all hope had been lost.
“When I was looking at the baby before she left, there was no hope, sometimes as an elderly you just wait for the day so I was thinking I was going to welcome back a corpse today is a testimony that miracles do happen. I am so excited. God is great. I found it encouraging that as journalists you supported each other, you are like one big family,” she added.
Baby Manqoba, surrounded by joyous family and friends, could have been astonished by the activity surrounding her — all the noise, hugging and cheering — but seemed to recognise her grandmother whom she favoured the most.
For anyone who had not seen the baby before her departure for India could not have believed that “Nono”, who had been through a lot and had once left her family hopeless, was now fit as a fiddle.
A teary Shamiso described her family’s journey for the past few months stating it wasn’t an easy one.
“It wasn’t an easy journey because when we left Zimbabwe we thought it was going to be just an easy trip, then we come back home.
“But when we got there she had so many complications before surgery, she had to stay in ICU more than three weeks before surgery and at some point the doctors told us that they weren’t going to go ahead with the surgery, because it was too risky but the lead surgeon, I guess he was concerned, then decided to just give it a try, so he asked us to sign a consent for him to go ahead with the surgery.
“We did not have a choice because what we wanted was the baby’s life. So we signed the consent forms and went ahead with the surgery and it was a difficult one because it took about 14 hours, so you can imagine me waiting outside the theatre with my husband and child in the theatre and I was alone.
“God saw us through all this and I thank him we are back home with the baby getting better every day. It was not easy being there alone but I thank my family and my friends so much because they would always keep in touch, when I delayed replying messages they would call and ask why I was not answering?” narrated Shamiso of her almost three-month stay in India.
She said when they named the baby Manqoba, which means “victor”, they had no idea what lay ahead their tot had lived up to her name and discovered her strength.
Manqoba was referred to India for treatment of biliary atresia, with which she was diagnosed when she was five-months-old.
Well-wishers, some of whom have requested to remain anonymous, helped to raise the more than US$50 000 that was required for the medical expenses, travel, accommodation and sundries.
The Save Baby Manqoba campaign saw the coming together of journalists, artistes, companies, Government departments, and individuals from across the country. Biliary atresia is a rare disease that begins in early infancy and affects one in every 10 000 to 20 000 infants, which if left untreated is life-threatening.
“My message to everyone who put their cent, their dollar, their prayers, I say thank you so much. All I can do is ask God to give all who donated, either in cash or kind, their heart’s desires. There is no way were we going to raise US$50 000 by ourselves. Because she had to stay in hospital for longer than anticipated, the hospital asked for an additional US$20 000,” said Yikoniko.
