Three little lives’ just had their futures transformed for the better thanks to life-changing heart surgeries made possible by a guardian angel and a donation of many lifetimes:
Durban, South Africa (08 December 2023) — Three children with congenital heart diseases received life-changing surgeries at Lenmed Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in Durban as the happy ending to a story sparked by a miracle.
Four-year-old Olwethu Ntshangase’s life with an atrial septal defect (a heart hole), five-year-old Wandile Memela who came into the world with poor oxygen flow and limited blood pumping abilities (Tetralogy of Fallot) and 13-month-old Thingolwethu whose condition was not disclosed but also falls under congenital heart disease, will now get a beautiful chance at life.
Thanks to the Angel Network Durban, hardworking medical teams and the hospital’s non-profit, The Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa, these little ones went from waiting-list to wonder-list status. However, none of this would’ve been possible without a bolt from the blue moment sparked by kindness and generosity.
According to Rachel Kinloch of the Angel Network, a donation worth literal lifetimes got the ball rolling. One day, the Network was contacted by an anonymous donor who wished to make a R1 million donation/sponsorship. The one condition of the generosity was that the money needed to be used for surgeries that would change or save the lives of children in South Africa.
Rachel, Tanya Altshuler and Rachel Maehler of the Angel Network gladly and quickly took on the task of finding organisations that help children facing these circumstances, with a focus on those who were born with life-threatening health issues.
After connecting with Umduduzi, an organisation that helps children facing life-threatening and limiting illnesses in KwaZulu-Natal, they were pointed to the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa which had a big waiting list from Albert Luthuli Hospital.
For the young lives for whom the surgeries were a success, this triple miracle has changed the outlook of their futures to healthy and fulfilled ones. For their parents, it was just as life-changing.
Rachel shares that the experience of working with all those involved, especially the foundation and the medical staff, was inspiring.
“We are so happy to see how government health care and the foundation are working alongside together to save lives. We hope to be able to find ways in which we can provide more life-saving heart operations.
She adds that organisations like the Children’s Cardiac Foundation have the ability to do so much with the help of more miracle moments.
“We would love to create more awareness about the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa, and the incredible need for more sponsors, so more children can be able to receive the life-saving cardiac surgeries.”
You can find out more about the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa and the Angel Network on their respective websites.
by 