‘Thank God, My Baby’s Heart Defect is Over’
Enugu-based businessman and father of 4-year-old Chimamanda Achuama, Mr. Peter Achuama has expressed gratitude to God and the management of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State as well as the medical team from overseas for performing a successful heart surgery on his only child.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent inside the hospital ward, the father of the little girl, said, “I feel very happy and elevated because this sickness has been a very big problem to us and now that it has been solved, I feel very much elated. Rotary International has come to our aid and saved us from this problem and we are very, very, happy.”
The little girl with sparkling eyes, Chimamanda is among the 20 patients with different heart defects currently undergoing open heart surgery at the UNTH courtesy of the NGOs - VOOM Foundation, CardioStart and Rotary International - that are funding the operations being carried out at the UNTH. Chimamanda’s heart surgery, just like that of other patients, was quite successful, according to the health workers who have been managing her condition since after the operation. “She may not stay up to two weeks before being discharged,” the nurse said. “Her condition is improving since she is sitting out of bed,” she added.
The only child and daughter of the family after a very long period of praying for a child, Chimamanda was born in 2010 with what medical people call “congenital heart defect” which means that there was an abnormality in her heart, and the implication was that she was frequenting the hospital until the real cause of her ailment was detected by medical professionals, Daily Trust on Sunday was informed during an interview with Mr. Achuama.
Chimamanda’s ailment brought so much misery and concern to the family to the extent that, were it not that the parents depended fully on God, the holy matrimony would have been badly affected, according to Mr. Achuama, a native of Oko in Orumba Local Government Area of Anambra State who is resident in Enugu, capital of Enugu State.
Achuama, narrating the history of his child’s ailment, said, “My daughter was born in 2010 and about a few months after her birth, we noticed a number of sicknesses. So we went to a doctor who examined her and referred us to the UNTH and it was here at the UNTH that they found out that my baby had some problems in the heart. They call it congenital heart defect. Ever since that time, we have been coming to this hospital for treatment and also going to her doctor in the town who referred us to the UNTH. But we were told that she must have open heart surgery. We attempted to go to India and other places but the cost of travelling overseas is much. Some were saying if we wanted to go to India, we must have at least N3million. In the first place, we haven’t got such amount and we were running about to see if we could raise any fund until we heard about this Rotary International programme.”
He added that her daughter’s health problem tasked his family’s happiness, advising that parents whose children have this kind of problem should rely on God for help instead of antagonizing one another. “The problem can make a family to break up if they don’t depend on God,” he admitted, saying, “My advice to such people is to take everything easy and be patient because when this problem came, we didn’t want it to worry us. We took it lightly and left everything to God, praying that one day God would intervene, and God has intervened through UNTH. So my advice to them is that if you and your wife don’t understand yourselves, one person will be blaming the other. People should take it easy and pray for God’s intervention.”
Meanwhile the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Christopher Amah has said that 20 persons suffering different kinds of heart sicknesses are currently undergoing open heart surgeries at the hospital through the funding from the Voom Foundation and Cardiostart.
He added that the current programme is the 12th medical mission being performed in the hospital since it commenced the open heart surgeries three years ago, noting that it is also the third mission being carried out by the hospital since this year with her overseas partners, bringing the number to about 43 persons that have benefitted from the exercise so far.
Rotarian team leader to the mission at the hospital, Dr Irving Henry Tohver, said his organization was pleased to partner with the UNTH for the programme, calling on government and corporate organizations in the country to sponsor it.
Voom Foundation President, Dr Vincent Ohaju and Cardiostart team leader, Emily Anna Farkas, also harped on the need for Nigerians to help the programme succeed especially now that the international donours were around.--