…As Hospitals for Humanity rewrites Nigeria’s pediatric heart story

By Esther Onyegbula

When 32-year-old Emmanuella walked into a hospital in Abuja last August with her two-year-old daughter, she thought she was dealing with a stubborn fever. She had already tried the usual remedies, over-the-counter medications, rest, and fluids, but the fever lingered.

What she didn’t expect was to walk out with a referral to a cardiologist and the shattering news that her daughter had a hole in her heart.

“She wasn’t even showing symptoms,” Emmanuella recalls, her voice still laced with disbelief. “Very active, very healthy. If I didn’t tell you, you’d never know.”

But beneath her daughter’s bright eyes and boundless energy was a silent threat, a congenital heart defect that, left untreated, could have taken her young life.

“I cried, and cried, and cried. I couldn’t imagine that a little girl like her would need heart surgery. That’s the engine house of the body. And we didn’t have the kind of money.”

At the time, the cost of surgery was estimated at N12 million. Factoring in travel, medical reviews, and hospital logistics, the total cost was projected to be over N30 million abroad.

But just when hope began to dim, Emmanuella found a lifeline, Hospitals for Humanity (HfH), a nonprofit organization that provides free, life-saving surgeries for children with congenital heart defects whose families cannot afford treatment.

Through a referral chain from her doctor to a surgeon and eventually to HfH, Emmanuella was connected to the organization’s biannual surgical mission in Lagos. In November, she came close to getting her daughter into the operating room, but a cough ruled them out for that cycle. The waiting began again.

Then came May 2025. HfH returned for their spring mission under the #SavingLittleHearts initiative, and this time, Emmanuella’s daughter was cleared for surgery. “It was like God just said, ‘Now is the time,'” she says, beaming.

On Monday morning, the surgery began. It stretched for seven harrowing hours, an eternity for a mother who could do nothing but pray.

“My mouth was shaking. My whole body was on fire. The only thing I could do was pray and wait,” Emmanuella says. “When the doctor finally came out to say it was successful, I just broke down. I didn’t even know how to thank them enough.”

Her daughter remains in the ICU, slowly recovering under round-the-clock care. But already, Emmanuella feels the weight begin to lift.

“I slept beside her last night,” she says, tears welling. “She’s talking. She’s responding. She’s going to be okay.”

HfH has become a beacon of hope for families like Emmanuella’s. At their recent two-day #SavingLittleHearts Open House event at Diamed Centre, Lagos, where surgeries were carried out, HfH’s medical and administrative volunteer teams pulled back the curtain on their life-saving mission.

“We deal with the sickest kids, those with no means of affording surgery,” said Morenike Lawal, a U.S.-based nurse and administrator with HfH. “We don’t just operate and leave. We follow up. We build trust. Families are free to walk into our ICU and see their children. We owe them that transparency.”

In Nigeria, an estimated 8 out of every 1,000 children are born with congenital heart defects. The vast majority go undiagnosed or untreated due to cost and access barriers. Many parents are told their children will not survive past a few years without intervention.

“There are more than 1,000 children on our waiting list,” said Mrs. Efe Farinre, Chair of HfH’s General Advisory Board. “Sadly, some don’t survive long enough to receive help.”

Since launching its pediatric cardiac program, HfH has completed just over 200 surgeries in Nigeria. The organization’s goal is to increase that number to 150 surgeries annually, but systemic challenges, resource shortages, various issues, and delays continue to hamper progress.

Yet, HfH remains undeterred. “We adapt,” said Dr. Omonigho Ekhomu, a U.S.-based pediatric cardiologist and one of the Nigerian and expatriate volunteers who make up the mission. “We come prepared. We don’t just save lives. We train local providers, leave behind knowledge, and inspire continuity.”

Speaking on why he established HFH, Dr. Segun Ajayi, the CEO and founder of Hospitals for Humanity, said: “HfH started because one year, I came back to Nigeria and fell very ill. I was admitted to one of the so-called best hospitals in Nigeria. And that hospital wasn’t even comparable to the worst hospital in the United States.

That was when I realized Nigeria had a better healthcare story to tell, and I wanted to be a part of that story. I wanted to make an impact on the healthcare system in Nigeria.”

According to him, “I knew that if something was going to be done, I had to make the effort myself. That was how the vision of Hospitals for Humanity came about. Since congenital heart disease is such a life-threatening condition for children, we need to ensure these children have a normal life.”

“So, our role in this community and in every community where we serve children and their families is to ensure there are opportunities for these children to live normal lives. Every child deserves to live. As we celebrate 10 years of this flagship program, we honor the resilience and courage of these children and their families.”

“HfH’s long-term vision is to build Africa’s first free pediatric cardiac hospital, a facility that won’t just treat but will train, research, and provide round-the-clock pediatric cardiac care,” Ajayi added.

“Every child we save is a ripple,” said Mrs. Efe Farinre. “That child could be the next doctor, innovator, change-maker, or leader, but only if they’re given a chance to live.”

The organization is funded by international donations, local sponsorships, strategic partnerships, and a grassroots fundraising initiative called the Circle of Friends, where individuals and communities support based on their capacity. Whether it’s donating the cost of a single surgery or organizing fundraisers as part of events, every naira counts.

For Emmanuella, that ripple has already begun. Her daughter, once a bubbly child with a hidden hole in her heart, now has a chance at a full life.

“She’s strong,” Emmanuella says, a smile breaking through her tears. “Stronger than me, even. I thank God. I thank the doctors. I thank every single person who made this possible. You didn’t just save her life, you saved mine too.”