Kabelo Thanzi (2) plays happily outside like a typical toddler but the cheerful little girl was diagnosed with a heart defect when she was three months old.
Doctors never detected it at birth but her parents had sleepless nights from 14 September 2016 and made countless emergency night visits to the Potchefstroom hospital. ‘We knew something was wrong with the beautiful blessing God had given us,’ recalls Joel Thanzi, the father of the baby girl.
Joel and his wife, Elizabeth, were stunned to hear that their baby girl was born with an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) or ‘a hole in the heart’. But their fear subsided a little when doctors at Chris Hani Hospital said they could repair the hole; they have scheduled the operation for 27 March.
The parents of the little girl are confident hat the operation will be a success and their baby girl will live a healthy life. ‘She has been on medication since she was diagnosed and we make trips to the two hospitals every month. At night, she sleeps with her mouth open and without clothes. We also have to ensure that she does not cry for too long because it hurts and she puts her hand over her heart,’ says her protective father.
When the Herald visited the family in Ikageng, Kabelo was full of smiles and begged her father to buy her some yoghurt. A few seconds later, she had spilt some on the floor and her doting daddy happily cleaned it up. ‘We are inseparable. She does not go to sleep until I come home from my community policing forum (CPF) duties,’ says Joel.
Photo: Selogile Leshage
In spite of everything being on track with her daughter’s heart operation, Joel is worried that he might not be able to visit her very often after the procedure because he does not have the money for transport. ‘Her mother will go with when she has the operation because the hospital makes provision for their transport. They only allow one parent to accompany the patient. I need to get to the hospital and back every day and I want to ask the community if anyone would please assist me with transport money,’ he said.
While Elizabeth is with Kabelo in Gauteng, he will be taking care of his other children who both go to school. This time around, the community-minded father, who has been a member of the CPF for close to a decade, is on the receiving end.
Anyone who wishes to contribute to Joel’s transport costs will find the banking details below:
Tikie Joel Thanzi
Cellphone number: 074 623 8204Standard Bank
Account number: 100 94 679 736.
Type: Access Account
Branch Code: 05 28 38
Branch Code (electronic payments): 05 1001
