CAPE TOWN - An Atteridge family have so much more to celebrate this year after their son had a successful operation to repair two holes in his heart.
Baby Leago Mogale, who celebrates his first birthday on December 17, became the latest beneficiary of the Heart-to-Heart campaign, with a specialised procedure performed at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg.
This is a corporate social investment match-funding challenge between the Netcare Foundation and Medipost Holdings for life-saving operations for children with life-threatening heart conditions.
Leago’s mother, Reabetswe Mogale, said doctors picked up her son’s heart murmur when he was less than a week old.
The devoted mother said they were so worried about what the future might hold for their son.
“It has been an emotional year for our family, but this Christmas we are celebrating that our baby’s heart defect has been corrected.
“Leago’s name means ‘building a future’. He loves playing with anything that makes a noise or lights up. I think he might grow up to be a sound engineer one day,” Mogale said.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Erich Schürmann of the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital said although Leago was an alert and active baby, he did not gain weight as a healthy child should and his mother noticed he perspired a lot whenever he was feeding.
“After Leago’s heart murmur was diagnosed, he was referred to Steve Biko Academic Hospital and was prescribed medication for six months,” Schürmann said.
Leago’s parents learnt that the holes in their baby’s heart were not closing, a condition known as ventricular septal defect (VSD).
This was placing extra strain on Leago’s heart and the arteries supplying blood to his lungs and was causing progressive damage over time.
His father, Thando Qolo, said it was a tough time for them to know their son was in heart failure and needed to be operated on as soon as possible.
“As a parent, you can’t imagine this is happening to your child.
“The care team at Steve Biko Academic Hospital advised us that there is a long waiting list for such specialised procedures, but there was a chance that could make it possible for Leago to have the procedure sooner through private sector assistance,” Qolo said.
Schürmann said that when Leago was referred to them, they were determined to find a way to help him before the damage could progress further.
“His heart had a left to right shunt, increasing the blood flow to his lungs. This in turn leads to failure to thrive, recurrent lower respiratory tract infections and over time can lead to irreversible lung damage, so we had no time to lose,” Schürmann said.
Rentia Myburgh, group director of sales and marketing for Medipost Holdings, comprising Medipost Pharmacy, Kawari Wholesaler and Distributor, MediLogistics and the MediTraining Academy, said the Heart-to-Heart campaign was initiated a year ago when the Netcare Foundation matched Medipost Holdings’ corporate social investment donation to provide financial support to enable children born with congenital heart defects, such as Leago, to have these life-saving procedures.
The procedures are co-ordinated by the Maboneng Foundation, a non-profit organisation that raises funds for children to receive the operations as early as possible through a world-class cardiothoracic centre at the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital.
A team of specialists committed their time and expertise to help Leago pro bono.
The team consisted of cardiothoracic surgeons Dr Schürmann and Dr Hendrick Mamorare of the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute, paediatric cardiologist Dr Greenwood Sinyangwe, who practises at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital, anaesthetist Dr Krishnee Naidoo and cardiac perfusionist Mogotsi Mophosho.
Leago’s mother said now that her son has recovered from the operation he has been waking up early every morning and just cannot wait to start running and playing.
“We are so thankful to the amazing team of specialists and nurses who cared for our baby so well and the organisations that have given him the chance to live a full, normal life.
“Having our son at home and out of danger is the best Christmas present we could have wished for,” the happy father said.
Mande Toubkin, Netcare’s group director of trauma, transplant and CSI, said: “It means a great deal to us at the Netcare Foundation to have been part of making this procedure possible for Leago before the year was out.
“We wish this brave baby boy a very happy first birthday and a bright future ahead in whatever he sets his mind to.”
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL