Posted by By UCHE USIM on
Thirteen out of the 14 children that traveled to Hyderabad, India for heart surgery last month on the bill of Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF) have had successful operations and are rapidly recovering.
Thirteen out of the 14 children that traveled to Hyderabad, India for heart surgery last month on the bill of Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF) have had successful operations and are rapidly recovering.
However, the foundation lost a two-year- old girl, Miss Kemi Daniel, whose case had deeply deteriorated before the operation could be carried out. Consequently, she passed on four days after the surgery. She has since been buried in India with the mother's consent.
Arriving the Murtala Muhammed International Airport aboard Kenya Airways, four out of the 13 children and their mothers were in joyous mood having crossed from the land of the dead to the land of the living.
The kids, Miss Oluchi Njoku, Miss Esosa Ebuouoman, Alabi Elizabeth and Master Chidiogo Amadi completed their operations two weeks ago.
The Deputy Manager, Sponsorship and Promotion of KHF, Anita Oduh who spoke with Daily Sun on the sponsorship mode of the kids, said 'the kids are pencilled down for foreign surgical operation on first come first serve basis. 'We also look into the severity of their cases. If a very serious case that requires urgent attention is brought before us, of course, we'll give it priority attention before the one that can still wait a while."
According to her, there is a severe case the foundation is still battling with, which is that of a boy, Gideon Iwuanyawu, who has been in hospital in India since last August.
His case, she said is quite complicated making the poor boy stay in the hospital abroad longer than necessary. 'He's been there since August last year and we're praying to God he survives. You know heart problem is not something you can beat your hand on your chest and say it'll go this way or that way. That explains why some stay a month in the hospital, some stay two months and some three and so on. Nobody wants to stay in the hospital longer than necessary. It's God that heals and protects and we're calling Him to help us."
Next batch
On the next 'lucky" batch of children to go for surgery overseas, Oduh said: 'They are departing Nigeria between June and July. Some will be going to Israel while some will go to India. We're tidying up loose ends to ensure that the time we have scheduled to take them out of the country for the operation is not exceeded.
Travelling rules
'By our rules and operational standards, any child below four years will have to be accompanied by his/her parent or a guardian. Any child above five years can go alone because we have to trust nurses and doctors to take care of them. The older kids can go alone so as to enable us minimize cost. When costs are minimized, we can accommodate more kids," Oduh said.
Mothers' responses
While condemning the government for what she described as poor attention given to the masses, a mother, Mrs Amadi was full of praises for Kanu Nwankwo and his team at the foundation and added that other rich Nigerians can set up similar functional foundations to help the common man.
'Other Nigerians can do same. In fact I don't how to thank KHF. Perhaps my child of one year and nine months would have died if not for the foundation. It's only God that can bless them. And as for the government, they have to help the common man. Let them help Kanu or otherwise bring the facilities needed for the heart operation here in Nigeria. Look at Ghana, the facilities are there and yet Nigeria regarded as Africa's giant has none. It's really bad."
Mrs. Daniels
I really thank God for what Kanu is doing. It's really worth commending. Although it's unfortunate that among the 14 kids that went for the surgery, I was the only one the lost her baby. It's painful but that is not to say that the foundation is not doing a good work. May God bless Kanu and the foundation.
Mrs. Njoku
Let us all keep praying to God to keep supporting Kanu as he helps the common man. I'm with my child hale and hearty after rigorous surgery that was sponsored by KHF. If not, who knows by now, I'll be in agony crying. I thank the foundation a lot.