BY EBUN SESSOU
When baby Rachael was born some six months ago at Sacred Heart Hospital, popularly called Lantoro Abeokuta, Ogun State, the joy of having a new baby was palpable. Both the mother and father were happy for having another child.

Just a month after, the story changed. Baby Rachael wasn’t developing. She doesn’t feel comfortable. She is always weak and she doesn’t play at all. She vomits and rejects food at random. She doesn’t even tolerate breast milk. And her condition keeps deteriorating by the day.

Unfortunately, her parents did not know what was wrong with her until, it was discovered that she has a hole in the heart. The ailment she has been battling for months without improvement.

When Saturday Vanguard visited her in Abeokuta where the parents live, her living condition was enough to prove the adverse effect the ailment has caused this child. Accordingly, the mother’s condition is nothing to write home about.

Rachael

Speaking with her father, Mr. Ayoola Oludotun, a public servant who said the problem persists and right now, the baby is at the point of death. According to him, “We noticed that her weight was lesser than normal when she was borno. She was about 2.41 kg. So it aroused our curiosity to want to know what was wrong with her. After a month, we discovered that her breathing was faster and higher than normal, so we took her to Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

It was at that hospital that some investigations were carried out. We then took her to Lantoro hospital, Abeokuta, Ogun State where we spent six days. We were referred to University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan and radiography therapy and ECG test were conducted on her to confirm what the problem really was.

At UCH, we spent 11 days and at the end, it was confirmed that she has a hole in her heart which is “left ventricular hypertrophy” ailment in her heart. So, we were asked to be coming for regular check-up every week as well as buying drugs to regulate the proper functioning of the cardiac position. They said the cardiac activities need to be regulated for her to breathe well. Then, we were told that she will have to undergo surgical operation which we don’t have the money for. The doctor told us to continue the treatment until the surgery is due to take place. She has been on anti-failure drugs so that the cardiac functioning will be optimised before surgery.”

Explaining if there is any history of “hole in the heart” in his family, Oludotun said he had never experienced such ailment in his family. “I cannot say precisely what causes “hole in my daughter’s heart. Explaining the amount he has put into his daughter’s ailment, he said, “I cannot estimate the actual amount I’ve spent altogether.

Mrs. Ayoola

Right now, I don’t have enough money to continue catering for her. I cannot cope anymore. Now, I am on loan in my office and apart from that, I have to go and get another emergency loan from my office to pay for all the bills we have been spending. Now, I only take very little as my salary.

My take home is N17, 000 per month. Before then, my salary was above N70, 000. Right now, my company has to be deducting my money. It has really affected me so much. “I engage in petty business but right now, the business has collapsed. I sell pure water and recharge cards, but, when the problem came up, I had to sell out those things to cater for her.”

On when and where the operation would take place as well as the amount it will cost, he said “what they are saying at the hospital is that she has to gain more weight before the operation can be done, so we were not told the time. They only said it will be in India and they haven’t given us the breakdown. We were only advised to go and solicit for assistance from philanthropists. We were told that there is no enough facility to carry-out the operation in Nigeria.

Mrs. Abosede Ayoola, Rachael’s mother said, “I didn’t know that something was wrong with her until after a month when one of my sisters paid me a visit. She asked me if I noticed anything on my baby. I answered no, and then she advised that I should pay a closer check on her that the breathing is faster than normal. I replied and said that was how she had been breathing. We were referred to UCH for the test to know what was wrong with her. There, several tests were conducted including X-ray, EGO, ECG and it was discovered that she is having “hole in her heart” which is large. That the hole needs to be closed for her to come back to life.

Dr. Kehinde Showole

Explaining how Rachael feels on a daily basis, she said, whenever the pain comes, she is always uncomfortable, she cries endlessly. The doctor said she needs drugs for her to add more weight. I was also giving pumping nut to add to her food so that she can gain more weight. But for some weeks, the pain has been proving difficult; she hasn’t been able to tolerate food due to her condition. She vomits and coughs all the time. She cries to the extent of not tolerating anything.”

As a mother, Abosede said, she hasn’t heard or seen this particular health condition before. “This is the first time I am experiencing this. I never had it when I had my first child. Right now, it has affected me and I cannot cope with it anymore. I cannot tolerate her cry and pains. I haven’t been able to work. In the night, she doesn’t feel comfortable. She is always weak and she doesn’t play at all. Whenever I give her food, she doesn’t tolerate it not even breast milk. I have been visiting different churches just for her to be recovered. I was given anointing oil that I should believe all will be well but her condition keeps deteriorating every day.”

To help baby Rachael come back to life, you can send your widow’s mite to Account Name: Ayoola Oludotun Faryola with Account Number 1011437350, Skye Bank, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, Ogun State or call 08035358998.

What doctors say about “hole in the heart?”

Dr. Kehinde Showole, is the Medical Director Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta, Ogun State. He speaks on some likely factors attributed to the cause of “hole in the heart”, it affects and possible solutions. Excerpt

Tell us what hole in the heart is

“Hole in the heart” means there is “hole in the heart”. And if it is abnormal, it comes perforated. The heart is made of chambers and they have normal ways of communicating. But if there is abnormal communication between either the first and second chamber or the third and the fourth, it becomes a health problem.

What causes it?

This is one of the things we don’t know. We cannot say exactly what causes “hole in the heart”. But there are so many factors that have been linked to the cause. One of the factors is genetic disposition, that is if there is a history of such condition in the family. There are some viral infections in pregnancy that have been incriminated, although, it doesn’t mean that. If it is detected in early pregnancy, the baby will be affected 100 percent. It is just that those who have it in early pregnancy have the ability of having a child with hole in the heart.

There are some syndromes like Down syndrome which are in form of chromosomes abnormality. It has also been discovered that if a woman smokes excessively, the child could be affected. There are quite a number of drugs or herbal medicines that we don’t not know that are present in those herbal drugs.

Although, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they would get it 100 percent. There are those who have been exposed but do not have it and there are those who haven’t been exposed who have it. There is no straight forward factor that can be attributed to hole in the heart. But we can advise that pregnant women should not take drugs that are not safe. Do not expose yourselves to radiation during pregnancy; avoid excessive alcohol in-take and having babies at the age which is not safe.

Is there any age range which a woman could avoid pregnancy?

Generally, we say after the age of 40. Also, the age of the father is important. But it doesn’t mean that a woman cannot be pregnant after 40 years. It is just a precautionary measure because the possibility of having cardiac infected child increases in age.

For a child with “hole in the heart”…

That child has to be presented to a specialist doctor. And if it is detected early, it will be observed and managed conservatively. And some of them (holes in the heart) close without any intervention. But if it is not compatible with life, the child could die because the condition is severe. But there are minor causes which can be managed. But,those that persist need to be operated upon. Different interventions will be given. There are quite number of children that are living normal lives after surgery.

From University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, a consultant Cardiologist who claimed anonymity said a child with large hole in the heart needs urgent intervention. He said the child will not be healthy, he or she will be vomiting and coughing. There will be severe pain inflicted on the baby and if not attended to could result in his or her death. But if it is small hole in the heart, it can be managed to a certain time say between ages four and six before he or she could undergo surgery.