Jacelyne was born with a hole in her heart. According to her mother, she was diagnosed with a cardiac defect in October 2020 when she was frequently suffering from an unknown illness. When she was brought to the hospital, the doctors told her mother that she had several diseases. Her mother remembers the last time Jacelyne was hardly suffering from chest pain for a long time, and the doctors told her that her daughter had pneumonia.

Since she lives in Dar es Salaam, she was advised to visit a pediatric doctor for a checkup. The doctor informed her that Jacelyne had a heart defect and recommended sending her to the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Hospital (JKCI). From that time on, Jacelyne started taking medications as prescribed by the doctors at JKCI.

During our discussions, Jacelyne’s mother acknowledged that she was not aware of congenital heart diseases before, which is why her daughter did not receive the right treatment in the early stages.

As she continued with the medications, she heard about The One New Heart Tanzania surgical camp at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, which took place from July 12th to July 16th, 2021. She attended the mission with confidence, even though she wasn’t sure whether her daughter would receive the cardiac treatment or not.

Our team received her warmly, performed the diagnosis, and successfully conducted the PDA Closure procedure.

On 22 August 2023, We received wonderful news from Mama Jacelyne Chiganga that her daughter will no longer need to attend the heart clinic that she has been going to since when she was operated on June 16th, 2021.

At The One New Heart Tanzania, we aim to raise awareness about Congenital Heart Defects in Tanzania and help underserved communities access heart treatments and follow-up care.

This leads to a community that is free from death and suffering due to congenital heart diseases.