An 11 year old girl, Miss Stephanie Akeni, diagnosed with a hole in her heart by doctors needs N4.0 million for surgery in order to save her life, according to her father, Chief Walter Akeni who spoke to journalists in Yenagoa.

Chief Akeni said that the JSS1 student of New Total Child Academy, Yenagoa has been suffering from fainting spells recently and that doctors even marveled that she is still alive as her condition seems to be congenital.

Quoting the doctors, Cheif Akeni said the girl ought to have had the surgery since she was an infant, but her condition only became known after she fainted at school in November last year and she was rushed to the school clinic for first aid.   After administering first aid on the girl, the doctor suspected a more serious condition and referred her to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa with “complaints of easy fatigability and difficulty in breathing”, where the cardiologist carried out some tests on her.

In the referral letter to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) signed by Dr. Onotume Okemena, the FMC, Yenagoa said Stephanie was too small for her age and “mildly cyanosed with no digital clubbing.”

At UPTH, Stephanie was referred to a private clinic, Divine Heart Foundation for further tests using echo sounding equipment to determine if she actually has a hole in her heart.

The pediatric cardiology echo report from Divine Heart Foundation signed by Dr. Barbara Otaigbe said among other things that Stephanie has a hugely dilated left atrium, severe right ventricular hypertrophy, non restrictive subarctic VSD and 70 percent overriding aorta and aorta-mistral discontinuity.

Dr. Otaigbe, a consultant pediatrics/pediatric cardiologist diagnosed “double outlet right ventricle with pulmonary stenosis and said that Stephanie “requires urgent surgery.

Little Stephanie has since stopped going to school as her medical condition has worsened and  this has brought a lot of pressure upon the family which has to daily manage her condition to avoid any further complications.

Doctors have referred them to India where Stephanie could have surgery for as low as N4.0 million, but Chief Akeni said it is difficult to raise the money even as Stephanie’s condition has continued to deteriorate.

Chief Akeni, a lawyer by profession, said they have resorted to prayers since their ordeal began and appealed to the Bayelsa State Government, Kanu Heart Foundation, A Aruera Reachout Foundation, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists and public spirited individuals to come to their aid.