A Cardiac ward for children experiencing heart related complications was recently launched at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, marking the beginning of a journey that will see the country reducing morbidity and mortality in children due to cardiac health conditions.
By Michael Gwarisa
The Cardiac ward at Mpilo was established by an organization called the Brave Little Hearts in Zimbabwe (BLHZ) that was founded by a young woman, Tendai Moyo. However, many might not know the story behind the birth of Brave Little hearts an organization that saw the pediatric cardiac unit at Mpilo Hospital manifest into reality.
The Brave Little Hearts Journey started in 2017 following the birth of Tendai’s baby girl, Rudorwashe Grace Moyo who had a heart condition that she later succumbed to. It is from that tragic event that Tendai found the motivation to make a difference in other children battling or having heart related complications.
It all began in 2017 when I gave birth to my baby girl at United Bulawayo Hospital (UHB). She was about 4.5 kgs and when I gave birth to her, she had dark lips, cold hands and a fast-beating heart rate. I didn’t know that these were signs and symptoms of a heart disease.
“When I asked the nurse why my daughter’s heart was beating so fast because when they gave me the baby to hold on my chest, her heart beat was so fast. They said probably it was because she was so chubby and big and as for the dark lips, they said it was probably some genes in the family,” said Tendai.
After giving birth, Tendai stayed for a stipulated 72 hours in the Hospital but still the nurses and doctors did not find anything wrong with the baby despite the fact that the baby had cold hands and feet as well as heart palpitations.
“We were later discharged but continued with all the visits to the hospital but they wouldn’t detect anything. At home however, my baby would quickly tire and would at times stop breastfeed and if she was breastfeeding, she would regurgitate her milk so much each time she would breastfeed.
“She wasn’t growing that much and for a 4.5 kgs baby, you would expect her to grow at a faster rate. At the local clinic, they at times told me that probably I wasn’t breastfeeding properly. No one really wanted to take me seriously because they thought I was just too concerned as a mother. Somewhere, somehow, I knew there was something wrong with my baby but I couldn’t just pin point it.”
Six months later, when Tendai took baby Rudorwashe for her jabs, that’s when the nurses discovered her cold hands and feet as well as dark lips and inquired when the situation started.
“I told them that I gave birth to her like this and that’s when I was told these were signs and symptoms of a heart disease and she referred me to Mpilo Hospital. It wasn’t easy. We had a number of challenges ranging from negligence by healthcare workers in the facility with regards to the care of the baby among other issues.
“On the fateful occasion of my daughter passing on, a nurse forgot to put back my daughter’s oxygen and they tried to resuscitate her but she did not make it. Prior to that, we went through several misdiagnosis and wrong medications and general poor care from medical attendants due to lack of knowledge and ignorance to the disease,” said Tendai.
Even though Tendai faced a number challenges leading to the loss of her baby, she has since found motivation and now runs and organization, the BLHZ, a national organization with parents across the country’s 10 provinces with the aim of bringing hope, treatment and care to children with cardiac related ailments.
Her organisation advocates for awareness and training both in the health and communities. They also speak for the children’s Rights to Early Diagnosis through having a compulsory oximitor check on the baby health card for at least 0 months to 16 and access to Medication.
“Building the organisation has helped me heal in knowing that we have opened the doors to all the other children in Zimbabwe by bringing awareness to this disease where we hope policies and frameworks will be implemented to save our children.
“It has helped me heal the journey and knowing that we actually did that project at Mpilo with our sponsors and partners who have been part of our journey. These include Masca, Gees Halsteds, Christian Community trust, Cillas Conference, Steve Fund, JCI, Rosemarie Harrison. Jennifer Ngulube (Dame),Psmas, Dr Gapu, Dr Ndebele, Novick Cardiac Alliance, Greenwood Pharmarcy, Rainbow of Hope and Lobels. Getting people to stand by you and support the vision is in itself a healing process because people believe in what you are doing and it encourages you. Even though it still hurts that I lost my little girl, I know that wherever she is, she is smiling down as she knows that she is the one who has opened the doors for many other children in Zimbabwe.”
The Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe has assisted children with heart complications through accessing of medications in 2019 in partnership with Novick Cardiac Alliance (USA). They have also donated anti heart failure medications to Mpilo Hospital for more than 250 children for three Months supply per child. This year in partnership with the All-Souls Mission Luissa Guidett, the BLHZ have donated more medications since the medications are very expensive.
“We assist parents access quotations for surgery and network through various organisations for assistance of these children. We also network for our parents for food provision for basics food items feeding for more than 100 as some cannot afford.
“These are very expensive and inaccessible and some parents default their children as they can not afford. Access to life saving surgery through having local sustainable structures in our nation such as the one we have pioneered at Mpilo. The right to specialist Care through advocating for more training of nurses and doctors in cardiology and exchange programmes with experts from other nations.
“And also try and network for school fees for the children as some cannot afford fees because of expenses that come with the disease. We also do empowerment and training on our platforms, we educate about the disease up keep of child, counseling for the bereaved, skills such as pad making detergents and we hoping to expand into agriculture and animal rearing once we get land just to capacitate families.”
