Yusrah is a bright and eager child whose constant illnesses continuously hold her back, forcing her to miss out on school and play. Thankfully, the Children’s Hospital Trust, through its Weekend Waiting List Initiative, has brought a long-awaited end to her suffering.
Cape Town, South Africa (21 February 2025) – Four-year-old Yusrah has been waiting for a crucial surgery for two years. That’s half her lifetime in this world.
As a result, this little girl has been experiencing prolonged pain and suffering from enlarged tonsils and adenoids, disrupted sleep and recurring infections.
However, because her surgery wasn’t classed as an emergency, she was placed on a waiting list, leaving her with no option but to do just that – wait. This left Yusrah with continual infections which had a huge impact on her health.
Her mother, Manteza shared that her little girl also cannot hear well, adding to the family’s distress in managing Yusrah’s health challenges.
But thanks to the Children’s Hospital Trust at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the generous donors who have funded the Weekend Waiting List Initiative, this family’s situation is about to improve.
In addition to the procedure to remove her tonsils and adenoids, the toddler is also going to have a procedure to make a tiny hole in the eardrum and fit grommets to make sure that her ears can drain.
“She’s a bit shy, but school has helped her to gain her confidence. She’s smart,” said Manteza.
“She’s a really smart kid. She does well in class but this thing of falling sick all the time is affecting her. She misses many days at school.”
Those struggles are about to come to an end, though, because now, two years after her initial diagnosis, Yusrah will finally have her surgery and will go on to learn, play and explore – as she’s always been destined to!
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