By Gabriel Olawale

Day and night, Semilore Shitta cries, non-stop. The persistent crying right from birth, has left her parents in misery.

At six months of age, the crying became unbearable. Her parents noticed that her heart beat was faster than normal, her tongue and lips were black but the doctor assured all was well.

At another hospital, she was diagnosed to be suffering from symptomatic multiple congenital heart defects, worsened by poor oxygen supply.

Currently, at 11 months and no thanks to the prolonged oxygen deficiency, her organs have been affected and her growth and development stunted. Medical experts have already recommended intensive cardiovascular evaluation and possible corrective open heart surgery.

The surgery which is to be done outside the country requires an estimated N3.5 million.

In an appeal, Semilore’s mother, recounted that it all started six weeks after she was born. “I noticed she was always crying, this made me take her to the hospital where I gave birth to her, but the doctor told me nothing was wrong. Despite several visits the doctor maintained that nothing was wrong.

“When I could not keep it to myself again, I explained to a friend who adviced me to take her to the General Hospital at Ajeromi in Ifelodun Local Government Area. It was there I was told she has a heart defect and we were referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi- Araba Lagos.

“Our visit to LUTH cost a lot of money because she received oxygen daily at the cost of N 5,000 per day. The hospital advised us to let her go for surgery at any centre with facilities for surgery for complex heart defects.

Presently my husband business is not moving well and we are only surviving with the little I earn from my work. The last time we went to clinic at LUTH, Shemilore weighed 6.1kg normally by now at 11 months she supposed to be weigh like 10.5 or 11kg. For now the only thing she can do is to seat down in one place, she can’t crawl.

In a medical report made available by LUTH and signed by the Consultant Paediatrician, Prof. CAN Okoromah, it was revealed that Shemilore is suffering from multiple congenital heart defects, which was confirmed by echocardiography to consist of Ebstein’s anomaly, hypoplastic-right ventricle, atresia of the pulmonary artery among others.

Explaining, Okoromah 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 Shitta’s growth and development.

“Semilore requires further cardiovascular evaluation and possible open heart surgery to correct his heart defects in order to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications,” the doctor noted.

If you are touched and wish to support in correcting Semilore’s abnormality, kindly send your donations to Skye Bank, Shitta Semilore 1031056816. For more clarification, please call 08027172733.