Giving hope one heart at a time
Published:Thursday | November 11, 2021 | 12:12 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
Shermott Facey, the father of 16-month-old Charlotte, could not contain his joy.
His daughter is among 13 Jamaican children currently benefiting from cardiac catheterisation, a non-surgical procedure, through the first medical mission to Bustamante Hospital for Children since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chain of Hope’s seven-member team brought along life-saving equipment and necessary disposables to perform catheterisation on children suffering from various cardiac complications.
Facey recalled that at birth, his daughter had a murmur in her heart and diagnostic examinations revealed that the pulmonary valve on the right side of the organ was partially closed, limiting blood supply to her lungs.
“She’s a promising child, she’s very active. As she moves around the house, she tends to sweat a lot and get tired easily,” said Facey, adding that the family has to monitor Charlotte when she eats to see if her skin changes colour.
Charlotte underwent cardiac catheterisation to open the valve and was released from the paediatric cardiac centre on Wednesday.
“I’m going home much happier because the procedure has been done. She can have a full life going forward. I won’t have to be looking over my shoulder and stopping her from playing,” said an ecstatic Facey.
Eight-year-old Timbarle Tennant had a congenital heart disease – a hole in her heart.
“I didn’t feel anything,” she said when asked about the procedure, adding that she is excited to return home.
“Thank you, Chain of Hope. God bless you,” the eight-year-old said.
Her grandmother, Judith Osbourne-Malcolm, shared that she has been caregiver to Timbarle since she was six weeks old. They travelled from Westmoreland to have the procedure conducted.
“If I don’t tell somebody that she has a heart condition, they don’t know because she’s very active. They were watching her for a very long time, and the time finally came for the surgery. I am feeling so excited, and I thank God for everything,” Osbourne-Malcolm remarked.
Head of the cardiology department at Bustamante, Dr Sharonne Forrester, told The Gleaner that the cardiac catheterisations were both interventional and diagnostic cases.
Intervention may include using a keyhole procedure that avoids chest scarring and obviates the need for days of recovery in hospital.
For diagnostic cases, dye is injected into the heart to capture precise and critical cardiac information.
Forrester noted that the major challenge was preparing for the medical mission during a pandemic, which forced the team to strictly follow health protocols.
The medical team had to be fully vaccinated, and each patient had to present a negative COVID-19 test before their procedure.
“These missions are impactful because of the transfer of information between the medical volunteers that come and our staff at Bustamante. We continue to learn so that we can have a sustainable programme going outside of these missions,” said Forrester.
The mission also assists with the disposables, plugs, and the necessary devices.
Senior Medical Officer Dr Michelle-Ann Richards-Dawson said the children will have follow-up visits at the cardiac clinic to ensure that they are recovering well and that there is no recurrence of the signs and symptoms they presented with.
More than 100 children are on the waiting list, said Richards-Dawson. Going forward, the hospital hopes to increase the number of cardiac catheterisations it performs.
“It is because we have had delays in our ability to perform cardiac catheterisations due to the ongoing pandemic for nearly two years. It is a very intense intervention and it requires specialised skills, equipment, and staffing,” she said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton lauded the mission team from the United States and the United Kingdom and sponsors for its support in advancing the lives of young Jamaicans through life-saving heart procedures.
“We really and truly must celebrate every visit and recognise the lesson from each visit, that without partnerships, we cannot advance public health,” Tufton said.
The Rotary Club of New Kingston, Rotary Club of Lake/Huntersville, Gift of Life Florida, Rotary Districts 6890 and 7680, and Gift of Life International are partners in the mission.