Meet Yamihla

A religious day for many Christians like Nolusindiso Munye, mother of nine-month-old Yamihla Munye, Palm Sunday was a sombre reminder of the sacrifices we make for those we love most.

For Nolusindiso, it was also the day she almost lost her little girl.

“We had returned from church and were relaxing when I noticed that she was not breathing properly. Her temperature was high, and nose was blocked,” she recounts.

The Hout Bay mother said because it was a Sunday all the clinics in her area were closed. Victoria Hospital was the nearest healthcare facility she could go to.

Without a referral letter, Nolusindiso wasn’t sure that they would receive treatment immediately.

“I was shocked,” she declares, and smiles in disbelief, “they helped us!”.

The mom looks down at her child, cradled snugly in her arms. The little one’s eyes beam with lively interest, as if she wants to add her bit to her mother’s story. She babbles enthusiastic ‘babyspeak’ and nods her head ever-so- often. Little Yamihla already has a strong sense of belonging.

Nolusindiso says that upon arrival at Victoria Hospital, she and her daughter got the help they were desperately looking for.

Yamihla was suffering from Bronchitis and Pneumonia. The little one was directly admitted to Victoria Hospital’s Paediatric Care ward for five days. In 2013 the Children’s Hospital Trust upgraded this Paediatric ward, as it forms an integral part of the Red Cross community of facilities that care for our nation’s most vulnerable children.

“My child was treated immediately and what was also amazing was that the nurses at Victoria Hospital did not only heal my child, but they cared for and comforted me throughout the whole agony.

“They were beyond amazing, “she says.

Nolusindiso and Yamihla are visiting Victoria Hospital’s Outpatient Department for the first time since being discharged, two weeks ago.

Sitting in the crowded waiting room, the moms share their experiences and advice. There is a sense of community and belonging here. Each mother wants the same thing: for their children to be healthy and happy and to have hope. They echo the sentiment of working together, shared by Red Cross and its allies, to better the lives of all children.

“Yamihla is doing well” Nolusindo says, as the little one tries to wiggle out of her mother’s arms, reaching for the pen on the side of the chair. There is a beautiful confidence and independence that grows out of a deep sense of belonging.

Yamihla’s mom is so impressed with the staff and efficiency of the nurses and doctors that she can’t stop telling other moms who haven’t been to Victoria Hospital before.

“The only thing that could improve my experience any better would be a bigger space so that Yamihla is able to crawl freely around me here in the waiting room and so that we as parents are also not squashed together because the room is quite small.”

With over 7000 children entering the doors of Victoria Hospital’s Outpatient Department each year, the care given to little ones like Yamihla is being hampered by the limit in space and lack of privacy. The necessary upgrade will remedy this. The sacrifices our donors make to help the Red Cross Hospital community uplift these facilities, both fund and support dignified and beneficial healthcare for all our children; making it very clear that there’s a place for them, a community – where they belong.