Trizah A., 5

Trizah is a bright and cheerful five-year-old girl living with her family in a rural community. She relies heavily on her mother, who is the sole provider for the household. Her mother earns a modest income of approximately KSh 1,200 per month from selling groceries at the local market and works tirelessly to meet the family’s basic needs despite significant financial constraints. The family uses a pit latrine and depends on borehole water for drinking and domestic use. Trizah is a Grade 1 pupil who enjoys attending school. She is friendly, polite, and naturally curious, always eager to learn. Her teachers describe her as attentive and hardworking, even though she has faced ongoing health challenges. She enjoys playing with her classmates, especially skipping rope and singing during school activities. At home, she assists her mother with small chores and often playfully imitates her by “pretending to sell” items, reflecting both her playful spirit and sense of responsibility. She dreams of becoming a nurse in the future so she can care for sick children, inspired by the healthcare workers who have helped her. Her greatest wish is to one day work in a hospital and make her mother proud. Trizah’s health concerns began when her mother noticed that she was breathing unusually fast and sweating excessively, even during feeding. She frequently appeared tired and was not gaining weight appropriately for her age. After multiple hospital visits and thorough medical evaluations, she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect - meaning she was born with a structural problem affecting her heart. She is currently under close medical supervision and receiving treatment to stabilize her condition and remove her from immediate danger. The doctors continue to monitor her progress carefully. Plans are underway to refer her to a higher-level facility, preferably a specialized cardiac center, for further evaluation and advanced management.

Trizah was diagnosed with cyanotic heart disease after she developed bluish lips, difficulty feeding, and poor weight gain. Further evaluation confirmed a congenital heart defect, specifically Tetralogy of Fallot, which was causing low oxygen levels in her blood. Because she comes from a poor background, her family was unable to afford specialized cardiac care. Through the support of Helpster, Trizah was linked to a referral hospital where she received free medical services. Initially, she was stabilized with oxygen therapy, medications, and nutritional support to improve her strength. She is now stable and referred to other hospital for corrective heart surgery . But she is now better and able to play and interact like other children her age, with regular follow-up visits to monitor her heart function.

With proper medical stabilization, oxygen support, medications, and close monitoring, Trizah’s short-term prognosis is cautiously optimistic. The current management aims to remove her from immediate danger by controlling symptoms, improving oxygenation, and supporting her nutrition and growth. Post-Cardiac Surgery Prognosis (Long-Term): If she undergoes timely and successful corrective cardiac surgery at a specialized center, her long-term prognosis is very good