Day and night, Chikaima Izuchukwu cries non-stop. Her persistent crying from birth has left her parents in misery.
At five months of age, her crying became unbearable even as her worried parents noticed that her heartbeat was faster than normal.
Her tongue and lips were blackened, Her internal organs are affected with her growth and development stunted.
At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Chikaima was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect, VSD, also known as a hole in the heart. She requires urgent corrective surgery to close the hole between her left and right ventricles.
In an appeal, Chikaima’s mother recounted that it all started three weeks after her birth. “I noticed she was always crying, this made me take her to the hospital where I gave birth to her, but the doctor said we should keep observing her. “When I could not keep it to myself again, I told a friend who advised me to take her to LASUTH where I was told she had a heart defect and will require surgery.
“She was admitted for some weeks and that cost us a lot of money because she received oxygen daily. The hospital advised us to let her go for surgery at any centre with facilities for complex heart defects surgery.
“When inquired about the cost implication, we were made to understand that the surgery will cost N6 million.”
In a medical report made available by KIMS Hospitals Limited in India, and signed by the Clinical Coordinator, International Patient Division, Dr Nimisha Pawar, it was revealed that Chikaima is suffering from multiple congenital heart defects, confirmed by echocardiography to consist of Ebstein’s anomaly, hypoplastic-right ventricle, atresia of the pulmonary artery among others.
Further, Pawar stated: “The complications of these heart defects, which include chronic hypoxaemia, meaning prolonged poor oxygen supply to the body cells and organs, have affected baby Chikaima’s growth and development.
“Chikaima’s requires further cardiovascular evaluation and open-heart surgery to correct her heart defects in order to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications,” the doctor noted.
If you are touched and wish to support in correcting Chikaima’s abnormality, kindly send your donations to Access Bank, Izuchukwu Njideka M. 0041455501. For more clarification, please call 08068117201.
