A baby boy born with a heart defect is now all smiles after he received life saving surgery at the age of only six months.
Baby Dante van der Heever is said to be thriving following the recent procedure done at the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital.
“Soon after Dante was born at the end of January this year, we noticed there was something wrong. He was very difficult to settle; he cried and cried, and he wasn’t gaining strength and weight as he should have,” his mother, Jennifer van den Heever recalls.
So began a harrowing journey for Dante’s family, struggling to make ends meet while their baby son was examined by specialists at Mankweng Hospital and Polokwane Hospital and subsequently admitted for two weeks in the intensive care unit at Tshilidzini Hospital.
Eventually, the family returned to their home in Makhado with the news that Dante had a serious heart problem, and would need an operation to save his life.
“Dante barely slept and we knew that he struggled with his heart. He could not even drink properly, and when he did, he would be out of breath and sweating. We sat day and night awake with him in our arms,” his mother said.
She added that it was tough and even now, it is very emotional to think back on that time.
Dante was put on a waiting list to have the operation at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, however the earliest date available was in July.
“At our next check-up, however, the doctors found that the situation was even more urgent. One part of his heart was doing all the work, blood was not going to his lower body and organs, and they said Dante’s heart could stop at any second.”
His mother said there was a real danger that Dante wouldn’t make it to July.”
In a race against time, Dante’s doctors started looking for other ways to help him get the operation sooner. They turned to the Netcare Foundation and the Maboneng Foundation, which coordinates funding and specialist services to help paediatric patients in the public sector who require lifesaving heart procedures.
“Dante’s condition was extremely serious, and we knew we had to find a way to help,” cardiothoracic surgeon and co-founder of the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute, Dr Erich Schürmann said. He was part of the medical team who assisted the little boy free of charge.
He explained that newborn babies’ hearts work a little differently to ours, as there is an artery called the ductus arteriosus that naturally closes soon after birth. The descending thoracic aorta then fully takes over the function of perfusing the infant’s abdominal organs and legs with oxygenated blood.
“In Dante’s case, there was a narrowing in a section of this artery in a condition known as coarctation of the aorta, which is more common in males. The condition accounts for approximately five percent of all congenital heart defects with a reported prevalence of about four per 10 000 live births,” Schürmann explained.
Netcare’s general manager of emergency, trauma, transplant and Mande Toubkin meanwhile said there is a need for time-sensitive paediatric heart operations, which require highly specialised skills and healthcare resources.
Given the extreme urgency of Dante’s heart lesion and following a successful application to the Netcare Foundation, Dante was booked for surgery in April, three months earlier than originally scheduled.
Mother Jennifer said when they received the good news, they were so happy that they immediately shared the news with family and friends.
“It felt like a dream come true,” she said.
The little boy made a rapid recovery in the specialised paediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit after the procedure and was discharged from the hospital just three days later.
Dante’s father, Stefan, said: “Dante is just a blessing. He is a wonderful, beautiful, and healthy baby. He is a busy boy and has been much more active and smiling since having his procedure. He loves to be the centre of attention and enjoys kisses.”
The parents said they are forever grateful that their son now has a future.
Pretoria News