After Irene's heart surgery: four years on

What looked like a routine school vaccination check in 2017 revealed a serious problem. Irene had Tetralogy of Fallot, a complex heart condition that needed surgery.

In Tanzania, as in many lower and middle income countries, heart surgery for children is hard to reach in time and hard to afford. Many children born with congenital heart disease never get the heart care they need. Surgery costs less here than in richer countries, but few families have insurance, so most of the cost falls on the family. Many depend on non-governmental organisations, visiting medical teams or donors.

Irene reached the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute with sponsorship from The One New Heart Tanzania, CFACH Kenya and HeartGift USA. On 14 December 2020 she had the surgery she needed.

Four years later Irene is 17, living in Mwanza and doing well in form two at ordinary secondary school. Her regular check-ups at Bugando Referral Hospital are a reminder of how far she has come.

Irene's story is about more than survival. It shows what accessible heart care does for a whole life, and it is why we keep working so that other children in Tanzania get the same chance. Her first story is here.