Baby Manqoba back home
BABY MANQOBA MABHENA, the one-year-old girl who became known last year when her parents, with the help of friends, workmates and corporates launched a blitz to raise funds for her liver transport in India, arrived back in Zimbabwe in good health last night. Manqoba and her mother Shamiso Yikoniko, a reporter with The Sunday Mail, were welcomed at Harare International Airport by friends and family members after the successful liver transplant. Yikoniko could not hide her joy after a stressful and painful trip.
BABY Manqoba, the one-year-old girl who became known last year when her parents, with the help of friends, workmates and corporates launched a blitz to raise funds for her liver transport in India, arrived back home in good health last night.
Manqoba and her mother Shamiso Yikoniko, who is a journalist, were welcomed at Harare International Airport by friends and family members after the successful liver transplant.
Yikoniko could not hide her joy after a stressful and painful trip, which was supposed to take few weeks, but ended up stretching to more than two months due to complications faced by Manqoba.
“It was not an easy trip because when we left Zimbabwe, we thought it was going to be a smooth operation, but as we arrived in India we went through a number of medical processes,” she said.
“We later faced challenges, with Manqoba, who is now almost fully recovered, being referred to the intensive care unit for more than three weeks as she was bleeding, among other complications.”
Manqoba’s father, Lawson Mabhena, who is also a journalist, had to travel to India to donate part of his liver to Manqoba.
“The worst moment of the whole trip was when the father and the daughter had to go for the operation,” said Yikon- iko. “This left me in a very uncomfortable state with no one to share the sorrow with. l had to wait for about 14 hours of surgery while they both underwent surgery.
“At first, the lead surgeon was concerned, but later agreed to carry on with the operation and we had to sign our consent forms because we had no choice. We wanted to save the baby’s life.”
Yikoniko expressed her gratitude to God and everyone who contributed in cash and kind to Manqoba’s successful liver transplant.
Manqoba was referred to India for treatment of her condition called biliary atresia, which she was diagnosed with when she was five months.