My 3-year-old son can now walk with support and it is a miracle for us because he has never learned to walk before.
These were sentiments shared by Mehnaaz Farisha Khan of Labasa, the mother of 3-year-old Mohammed Huzaifa Ahmed, who was the final patient to be discharged after his successful operation at the Sai Sanjeevani Children's Heart Hospital.
Khan say they are very happy their son has a new life now after the operation, and they are looking forward to taking him to the park, showing him around town, and doing other things a 3-year-old child will enjoy.
She says it’s a double celebration for them as her son has just turned 3 at the hospital as well.
Khan says her son was 7-months old when they found out that he had a heart problem, they took him to the health center where they referred them to the Labasa hospital as they saw that his son’s fingernails were turning blue, a sign of a heart problem.
She says they had to treat him like a baby till today because of his heart condition, his body was weak and hurt if he moved around.
She says she heard about the Sai Prema Foundation through her cousin, who encouraged her to bring their son for an operation as he saw that children were getting better from this hospital.
Speaking to fijivillage News, Pediatric Cardiologist from New Castle, Australia Dr. Jasha Kehr says because of Mohammed’s heart condition, known as Tetralogy, he hasn’t been able to learn how to walk normally, but after the successful operation, he will be stronger, develop normally and start walking and doing more things, which is fantastic.
Dr. Kehr says that children with this condition when operated at this age will always need a little bit more time in hospitals, so Mohammed will need to be taking medications for the next month or so after being discharged.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations