Meet Andrew 

A saved life saves lives

Thirty-five years ago, one South African family faced a fear that every new mother goes to great lengths to avoid. It was a day etched in their minds and hearts and will be a cautionary tale that is handed down to generations to come. It was the day a frantic mother rushed her choking nine-month-old baby to the Emergency unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

Just minutes earlier, her baby boy was being fed by his enthusiastic uncle who unfortunately didn’t check the meal properly, and her baby ended up choking on a small bone. The family rushed from Netreg on the Cape Flats where they lived, to the Emergency Centre at the Hospital. While the new mother’s parents rallied around her to comfort and reassure her, the nursing sisters and attending staff dealt with the crisis swiftly and were able to save his life.

That baby was Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar, now 35, a young attorney, activist, and policy specialist from the Cape Flats.

“It was around July/August 1986 when my family rushed me to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital,” he recounts the horrifying incident. “My mom and grandparents often told me the story as I was growing up. How my aunt Jasmina was the driver, my mother in the passenger seat, my grandfather Abdullah Aziz sort of holding me at an angle in the hope I was still getting oxygen, and my grandmother, Washiela.”

“Upon arriving at the Hospital, my family was fearful that the firstborn and only grandchild would die in that moment. Their emotions were complete fear and panic, but they knew that Red Cross was the only place to take me to – which was 10km from our home.”

This was not the first time that Andrew Ihsaan would have to visit Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital as his mum – a single parent and teacher – ensured that she took him back for regular check-ups. Every decision a mother makes is based on her best judgement and often, instinctual trust.

“After saving my life, I have visited the Hospital numerous times, and I also volunteered at the Hospital, which partly encouraged me to start my own organisation which focuses on alleviating poverty, education and feeding schemes.

“Had it not been for the amazing doctors at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, and the important work that it offers to the community, I would not have been here today. I would not have been able to volunteer at the Hospital through its amazing volunteer programme or have been able to lend my own voice and hand to social upliftment projects, peace-building efforts in the South Sudan or contribute to building sustainable cities and communities. This would all have been impossible. Red Cross saved my life,” he exclaims gratefully.

The medical teams at Red Cross Hospital have no other motive than to support life. They make no judgements about whom they heal; every little one counts. Every life has a path. Sometimes little paths become mighty avenues. Little did they know, those thirty-five years ago, what great adventures that little baby would encounter on his path in life.

Andrew Ihsaan has been privileged to meet global leaders such as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jacinda Ardern and even stars such as Pharrell Williams and Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Andrew Ihsaan’s story is a reminder of the incredible potential South Africans have, and the amazing opportunities that await them.

But most importantly, his story echoes the life-affirming reach of the work the doctors and nurses do at the Hospital.

With help from the Children’s Hospital Trust and their generous donors, RCWMCH is able to make more tomorrows a possibility.