An elderly grandmother in Kitwe village, Kanoni Town Council in Gomba District, is struggling to care for her eight-year-old granddaughter who was born with a hole in the heart and now requires specialised medical support.
Reginah Nakaweesi says life has become increasingly difficult after doctors at Uganda Heart Institute informed her that the child had passed the recommended age for corrective surgery.
Nakaweesi, who survives by roasting and selling coffee, is now appealing to well-wishers and medical supporters to help save the life of her granddaughter, Suzan Nampijja.
According to Nakaweesi, the child began showing signs of illness at a very young age, but she initially believed the symptoms were linked to poor feeding and recurrent childhood illnesses.
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"This child was left under my care when she was about one and a half years old. She was always sick, breathing heavily and her body was weak. I thought maybe I was not taking good care of her, so I kept treating her for different illnesses without knowing it was a heart problem," Nakaweesi said.
She explained that Suzan's condition deteriorated significantly when the child was around six years old and studying in middle class at school.
"Suzan would sweat excessively, struggle to breathe, lose strength and eventually stopped going to school because of constant sickness. That is when I took her to Mulago for further medical examination and doctors discovered she had a hole in the heart," Nakaweesi added.
The grandmother said she had initially hoped doctors would perform surgery after learning that some heart defects can be corrected medically.
However, she said her hopes were shattered when specialists reportedly informed her that the condition had progressed beyond the stage recommended for surgical intervention.
"The doctor told me Suzan had a hole in the heart. I asked whether she could undergo an operation and recover, but he told me it was no longer possible because the recommended age for surgery had passed. They only gave her medicine to reduce the pain. Whenever I think about it, I break down in tears," she said.
Nakaweesi said the family now spends sleepless nights trying to manage the child's pain, breathing difficulties and excessive sweating.
"Suzan is in a lot of pain. She cannot sleep and is always asking for water because of breathing difficulties. We spend nights awake cooling her body with wet cloths because she sweats too much and cries all the time. I appeal to anyone willing to help us save her life," she pleaded.
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Suzan's condition remains critical, and the family fears for her life if she does not receive urgent specialised medical attention.
The grandmother says she continues to rely on small earnings from selling roasted coffee while hoping that well-wishers, medical organisations or government authorities can intervene to support the child's treatment.
