13-year-old Parusia Muhigirwa received a new heart in February 2021, and it is going strong; she loves her new heart and is thankful for everything her doctors have done for her.
Cape Town, South Africa (22 April 2021) – Parusia Muhigirwa has been given a new lease on life, and it is all thanks to the generosity of a family unknown. You see, 13-year-old Parusia was waiting for a new heart, and her call came in February; the call has meant she will get to grow up and hopefully save a few lives herself.
Parusia received her new heart thanks to teams from the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) and Groote Schuur Hospital. This heart transplant was the first one done in the last 13 years at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Parusia Muhigirwa is so thankful for her second chance that she plans to use it by saving even more lives and becoming a doctor when she grows up.
Parusia was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which led to end-stage heart failure. This is where the heart muscle becomes incredibly “weak, floppy and dilated”. The cause is unknown, but cases like Parusia’s usually come from a viral infection that attacks the heart muscle.
“Some children may be born with abnormal heart structures, congenital heart disease, and although we are able to operate on many of these lesions, some are no longer able to be repaired or develop complications and when there is additional muscle pump failure, sometimes the only option is also to offer a heart transplant,” says Prof Liesl Zühlke, paediatric cardiologist at Red Cross Children’s Hospital.
Parusia underwent all the testing required, and it was deemed that she be placed on the transplant waiting list. The wait can be a long one, but so is preparing to get ready for the waiting list.
“We spend a long time preparing children with these conditions for a heart transplant and it is a careful and considered joint decision between family, child and team. Offering a cardiac transplant service for children builds up the entire team and ensures that we are able to offer children with heart failure a new lease on life and has great impact on the entire service,” says Prof Zühlke.
Prof Mignon McCulloch heads up the paediatric Transplantation Service at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
“Immunosuppression is a challenge, especially with children and in the time of COVID. It’s a fine line that we need to balance to ensure that we give the patient the best chances,” Prof McCulloch says.
Now that she has her new heart, Parusia will continue to receive medical care from her dedicated team, however, she won’t be sickly anymore and after a time, can lead a normal life. The team at RCWMCH are ready to do even more heart transplants now.
The follow-up process entails regular, monthly check-ups, including echo-cardiograms, blood tests, an array of assessments and careful monitoring of the immunosuppression. The transplant teams from Groote Schuur and Red Cross Children’s Hospital work closely together to ensure that everyone is on the same page when patients transition to adult services.
“We are excited to be able to re-invigorate our heart transplantation service and believe that many more young patients like Parusia, and their families, can benefit from it,” says Dr Anita Parbhoo, Acting CEO of the RCWMCH.
For more information on organ donation, visit www.odf.org.za
by 